My Normal
by Rangersbabe10
Summary: Stephanie didn't want normal, she never did. But maybe normal was what she needs when a stalker takes things just a little too far.. HEA Ranger/Steph...Morelli friendly. (working title.. it might change)
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hey Guys! Yes I'm back... And for now I will not be finishing my Lester/Steph story. Not forever just not now. I'm not feeling it anymore so if I tried to write it, it would be forever stupid. So I'm writing a Ranger & Steph story. I just finished reading JE's latest book and just wow... I have no words. I read it because I've never not read one of her Plum stories, but just wow.. I won't post any spoilers and I'm definitely not letting on if that's a good wow or a bad wow. :-) Just wow.. (snorts)

Now Yes I'm writing a Ranger/Steph story but I'm still working non stop. I've written chapter one while at work and finished it today. Saturday & Sunday will be the only days I post. If I skip a weekend its because I'm working or just extremely busy. Please forgive me. I miss our JE world of Ranger and Steph and the guys. So here it is...

My New Normal

 **Prologue:**

I've never had a normal life. My life would be boring if it was normal. I didn't want normal or boring. I wanted crazy, chaotic, different. I wanted fun too. So I wished for it. I've always wished for it. Since I was a little girl and jumped off the roof pretending to be Wonder Woman. I wished for that crazy life. Sometimes wishes shouldn't be made.

I learned that the hard way.

 **Chapter One:**

Normal was my life at the moment, but boring was not. I was currently chasing an 80 year old woman that had a farting problem. I can not make this up nor would I. She wasn't particularly fast or anything, but I was pretty sure she broke my ankle when she clubbed me with her wooden cane. A cane she didn't need I'm going to throw in there. So I wasn't really 'running' after her as much as I was hobbling after her. I just wanted her to stop moving so I could talk to her but she was refusing to stop or listen really. Whenever I got close, she would swing that cane at me. You know, the one she didn't need. And let me tell ya, that damn thing fucking hurt. She didn't need the offensive piece of wood, not to walk with. But I already said that. Just wanted to be clear. It wasn't that I couldn't catch her or that she was faster than me.

She seemed to be doing fine on her own, the walking thing that is. My ankle on the other hand was throbbing and I was in a lot of pain as I hobbled after her stinky ass. I just really wanted to call it a day and go home. Maybe order a pizza and watch Ghostbusters. Drink a beer. You know, normal.

"Velma, all I need is for you to come with me. We can get you rebonded. There's no jail time even involved in this today." I called out to the old fart. Pun intended.

She stopped suddenly and I almost tripped over her. She let a nasty smelling odor before slowly turning around. Her small beady eyes narrowed in on me and I backed up several feet. "You lying, missy?" She asked my accusingly. "It ain't nice to lie to old ladies."

I shook my head in denial. "I'll call Connie to make sure she's waiting on us when we get there." I assured her.

She nodded, happy with me at the moment and started walking towards me. At this point, I got a little scared and eyed that cane closely.

"I want to bring Snowball with me." She declared, still walking closer. Without the cane I might add. "You can watch him while I gotta do my thing."

Thinking Snowball was a miniature dog, I nodded my agreement. "I would be happy to look after Snowball while you get rebonded. Come on and let's go get him."

She laughed loudly, sounding more like a trucker that smoked more than a pack a day than the little old 80 year old lady that she was. "I carry Snowball with me every where I go." She announced before pulling a very large white rat out of, well I don't know for sure. I'm pretty sure she pulled that very ugly thing from her boob area, but I couldn't be too sure.

I let out a very girly squeak and jumped back. I knew it was just a rat and I had a hamster which was technically a type of rat, but Rex had fur and he was cute. Snowball was a giant ball of white skin and tail. He was creepy looking. No offense to all the rats and rat lovers out there. I just couldn't see him as anything but ugly.

"Let's go." Old fartmiester snarled as she passed by me, cradling the rat in her hands.

I gave a shudder, but followed as quickly as my ankle allowed which wasn't that fast. We rode in silence to the cop shop. Well, I was silent. She cooed to the rat while I watched in disgust. It was a rat, people!

We pulled up and together entered the station. Connie, true to her word was waiting on us. Velma thrust Snowball into my hands and hurried off. I looked down, watching the rat in my hands and grimaced. Man, little dude ugly and he had some kind of tumor thing...

OH! MY! GOSH! That wasn't a tumor, that was... Oh hell no! The set on this rat was... oh my gosh! No words!

My ankle was throbbing so I found the nearest chair and took a seat. With my hands full of rat, I wasn't able to get a closer look but my ankle was definitely swollen and probably, maybe not, broken.

"Hey Cupcake!"

I looked up at the happy and familiar voice and grinned. "Hey Joe! You look good." I commented. "Happy too!" I added after a moment of him nodding and smiling like a lovesick fool.

He took a seat beside me, still smiling. Eyeballing the rat in my hands, he replies, "I am happy. Sometimes I feel almost guilty about how happy I am." He admitted.

I shook my head. "Don't be. You deserve to be happy, Joe. Hell, I'm happy you're happy."

His eyes finally meet mine and his grin got wider. "Thanks Cupcake!"

I nudged his shoulder with mine. "Do I hear wedding bells in your future?" I teased him.

About two months ago, I had an epiphany. I wasn't in love with Joe. Yes, I loved him, but he was safe. I felt safe around him in the sense I knew I would never fall in love with him. When I just out of nowhere blurted this out, Morelli looked relieved. He then told me that he felt the same way. We're still friends, better friends in fact. Although, he did try for friends with benefits in the beginning. Honestly, I almost caved. Hey.. he's great in bed so sue me.

Then it happened. It was barely a week after when Morelli was downtown at a lawyer's office. He was asking questions about a murder that he believed this lawyer or his client was involved in. It was then that Joe talked to the lawyer's paralegal. And I'm pretty sure it was love at first sight.

I've met her. Sara, she's nice. She's petite, pretty, and sweet. She seems like a good fit for Morelli. She's so damn domesticated. She loves to cook and bake and she's really good at it. Like really good, better than Joe's mom good. She's a complete neat freak but she loves all animals and she wants to be a mother. Oh and she thinks the sun rises and sets on Morelli. And he's crazy about her too. They fit perfectly.

Almost two months later and I believe they're living together. I'm happy that he found his one.

I glanced over at him and found him blushing. I couldn't help but laugh.

"We haven't set a date yet, but I asked her on Valentine's day and she said yes." He told me in hushed whispers.

"What?" I practically shouted. Valentine's day was a month ago. Now see why I'm flipping here!?

He shushed me as he looked around in a slight panic. "We don't want the Burg to know yet. She wants to marry me, but she wants to wait at least another six months before we actually set a date."

"Oh." I nodded my understanding. "I won't say a word, Joe. Promise."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks Steph."

"Congratulations though!" I whispered in an excited but low tone.

He chuckled. "Thanks. I'm excited too."

"Stephanie?"

I looked up at the sound of my name and found myself staring at a man(boy maybe) that I've never met. He's maybe a few inches taller than me with sandy blond hair and brown eyes. He's cute in the boyish way. As in, he's way too young to think about in that capacity. However since he's wearing a police uniform, I know he's at least eighteen. I stand up slowly and hobble over to him. "That's me."

He handed me a piece of paper and blushed. Wow.. didn't expect that kind of response. "Here's the receipt for Velma Hughes."

I took the paper from him but frown. "Where's Velma?" I asked, only slightly concerned. She did hit me with her cane and maybe break my ankle after all.

He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "She... Um... she had a heart attack."

I gasped and took a step back, almost falling in the process. The man/boy reached out and caught me before I fell. "Thanks." I replied, straightening myself and taking a step back.

"Is she going to be..."

He shook his head. "No Ma'am. She died."

"Oh." I turned around and walked numbly to the doors. I shook my head and turned to look at the man/boy. "Thanks again..."

He nodded and then smiled. "I'm Bailey."

"Thanks Bailey."

I don't know if he replied because I walked out of the cop shop and towards my car. Well, I hobbled to my car. All the while carrying a white rat that I didn't know what to do with. I drove on autopilot to the bonds office, got my check and then went to my bank. I didn't really remember doing any of this. I was shock. I was sad. Of course, I sad. A woman I had met and was in the presence of, died. She was a horrible woman who liked to hit people with her cane. That's why she was arrested in the first place. She hit a police officer with her cane and he arrested her. But she was dead and that was sad. I didn't even realize I was at the pet shop until I left PetSmart with a new aquarium for Snowball with rat food and rat toys. I had officially lost my mind.

I then drove to the emergency room. I had a broken ankle, remember. Maybe I did. Wasn't so sure. I left Snowball in his new cage in the car. It's not hot. Don't judge me and hobbled inside. My ankle had done doubled in size. It throbbed as I gave the nurse behind the desk my information. After waiting thirty minutes to see the doctor, I was finally called back into the triage room. There I met another face I didn't recognize.

He smiled at me and I swooned a little. I wasn't ashamed to admit it. He was gorgeous. I smiled back. He was taller than me. Hell, he was taller than Morelli. He had thick wavy dark black hair and dark brown eyes. He was thick with muscles. He looked like he could work at RangeMan. He didn't look like no nurse.

"I'm Nick and you're Stephanie?"

I nodded dumbfounded. He chuckled and began to take my blood pressure. "How did you hurt your ankle?" He asked me.

My brows furrowed. "An old lady hit me with her cane."

"She did! Why?"

I shrugged. "I was trying to take her in. I'm a bounty hunter." Come to find out, he was fascinated by my profession. I think I was in love.

We talked for a few minutes while he took my vitals. He laughed at my antics in the field and I was ready to fall in his laughing dark eyes. The man was gorgeous and sweet!

"There ya go, Steph. The doctor will see you now. You take care and no more old ladies." He winked at me before leaving the room.

When I left the emergency room an hour later, my ankle was only badly sprained. The doctor gave me some pain killers and told me to take it easy. I gave my nod of understanding and left. After getting my prescription filled, I stopped at McDonald's and got me some chicken mcnuggets and a large fry with a large cola. It took some smarts to get into my apartment with my food and my new rat, Snowball but I managed it.

After eating my food, I got Snowball set up on another counter in my kitchen. I gave him his rat food and gave Rex his food. I then gave them each a carrot and a grape. Rex shoved his food into his mouth and ran back into his can. Snowball came out of his little hideaway and watched me as he ate his carrot. He was kind of cute, but he was creeping me out the way he was looking at me.

I settled down in front of my tv and watched Ghostbusters. I had a taken a pain pill so I was feeling pretty mellow. I fell asleep to the sounds of the Ghostbusters theme song and Snowball going rounds on his wheel.

This was my normal.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: So I said Saturday and Sunday and that's still true but today and yesterday were good days so I got to write quite a bit which makes me very happy. So here it is... Oh and thank you so much for the out pour of love & support. And I promise I'm not ignorant. Just in hurry so my brain and my fingers didn't quite match when I typed in subscription which I know is for magazines and not medicine. :-) HAHA! And you guys were asking about Ranger... I can't deny y'all for long.. :-)

Author's Note (plus one) Since I don't know if I'll be able to respond to my reviews, I wanted to let you all know they mean so much to me. Thank you so so much for favorite, following and reviewing... MomofPhoenix, AZBarb, mamabear19, PhillyGirl27, trhodes9, Barb4psu, guest, babesrus2, Proudofyoubabe, Daffybduck, GarbanzoBeans, shellbell78, melyons,

Chapter Two  
Totally Normal

You know that feeling when you up and something just feels not quite right? Yeah, that's the feeling I'm getting right now. I don't have a clue what time it is but I know it's still early morning. My eyes are blurred with sleep, my brain fuzzy, and my body is still limp. Only this time that something not right is very right. There's a tension in the room that only one man I know can create. And don't get me started on that heavenly smell.

I smiled in the dark. "Ranger." I murmured, my voice still husky from sleep.

"Babe." He responded in kind.

I sat up and once my eyes adjusted to the dark, I found him sitting in the empty chair across my room. He looked to be dressed in his normal fashion of black cargo pants, black tight t-shirt, and black combat boots. My smile grew.

"Why're you here so early? Everything okay?" I asked, concerned.

"Everything's fine, Babe." He spoke softly. "Checking on you. Heard what happened yesterday."

I let out a sigh. "I was sad and I still am a little. But I am okay. She didn't die _on_ me." I offered with a grin. Ranger chuckled softly at that.

"Ankle?" He questioned, concern now in his voice.

On cue, I involuntarily moved it and only felt a small twinge of pain. "It's all good. Only sprained."

I saw his head barely move in the dark room. That must have been his nod of understanding.

"Rat?"

I smiled again and shrugged. "It was Velma's. His name is Snowball."

"Babe." The tone of his voice was laced with a smile. Ranger was amused.

"Want me to dispose of him?" He asked softly.

I guffawed. I snorted. "No I do not want you to dispose of him. I haven't decided yet but I think I'm going to keep him." I informed him sharply.

"Babe." Batman was still amused. Glad I could help with that.

I glanced over at my alarm clock and let out a squeal of curses. "Ranger, it's not even four in the morning." I moaned as I threw myself back down on the bed.

He chuckled some more in the dark. I heard it, but I also heard him move. I felt his presence next to my bed, next to me. Then I felt his warm lips touch my forehead. My eyes were closed and I kept them that way. Looking into Ranger's eyes make me vulnerable so I avoid it when I can. Especially when I'm half naked in my bed. Since Morelli and me called it quits, Ranger kept his distance from me. If I showed up where he was, he left quickly. And he rarely showed his face to me anymore. Batman made it clear. He wasn't interested so I had to keep my distance anyway I knew how.

I stayed still until I knew Ranger was gone. And then, well I went my ass back to sleep.

When I woke up again, it was almost ten. I felt very well rested and ready to get a move on. I pulled myself out of bed, hobbled/walked to the bathroom and did my business. After washing my hands, I pulled my curly hair into a ponytail. My ankle was still a little tender but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't do something with my day. I quickly walked next door and asked old man for his newspaper. He grumbled but he gave it up. I gave him a smile, promise to return the paper and then returned to my apartment.

I closed my front door and went into the kitchen. After fixing myself a cup of coffee with my new Keurig. A Christmas gift from the Merry Men. I loved it. Not only did they get a state of art one they gave me plenty of K-cups to go with it and signed me up for this once a month delivery of K-cups. All on them. I loved my Merry Men. I dropped a few fruit loops in Rex's cage and then few into Snowball's cage. While I read the paper, they came out and ate their fruit loops. I think they were eyeing each other, but I couldn't be too sure about that.

I looked through the paper until I found what I was looking for. "Velma's visitation is this evening, but her funeral is tomorrow." I read out loud to my new pets. "Wow, that was fast."

I didn't know why but I wanted to go pay my respects to the woman that sprained my ankle and gave me my new pet. That's right, I'm keeping Snowball. ( Can I rename him though) I mean really, was there ever any doubt that I was keeping him. I can easily take care of two small pets, right?

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do today but I had to do something. I was already going stir crazy. I couldn't really go after any skips today. Not the ones I had at least. Maybe Connie had a new one I could go after. Someone like Mooner or Dougie. If not I could always hang out at the Bonds office.

"Alright boys, I'm going to the Bonds office. You two behave." I called out to my boys as I made my way to the door. Haha, I had boys. That thought makes me smile. About to head out the door, I look down and lucky for me I did. I was still only half dressed. I guess I really was ready to start my day.

I head back into my bedroom and emerge ten minutes later. Black jeans, pink t-shirt, and some flats and I'm ready to go. I grabbed my pocketbook and walked out the door.

R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S

Entering the Bonds office with donuts, coffee, and breakfast sandwiches, I was greeted with more enthusiasm than I've seen all year.

"Oh white girl brought us a snack." Lula practically screeched as she grabbed the bag right out of my hands and shoved her head inside the bag. Yes her entire head.

"Those are for us all and you better not touch my sausage and egg croissant." I warned.

Lula's head popped up and out of the bag, a bacon and egg mcgriddle hanging from her mouth. "Wha?"

I laughed and yanked the bag out of her hand. I grabbed my sandwich and handed the bag to Connie. She gave me a grateful smile and then dug in. I grabbed a Boston Crème and my coffee before getting comfortable on the new sofa.

"Not that we're complaining, but what's with all the food?" Connie asked, curious. And digging into her food.

I shrugged, biting into my croissant. "I can't do much with my ankle right now so I figured I would hang out here. And well we need food and I was hungry." I blushed and buried my head back into my sandwich.

"Speaking of your ankle, what happened yesterday? Anything unusual while picking her up?"

I shook my head, my mouth full. Since I couldn't talk, Lula jumped in with her two cents.

"I heard she kept hitting one of them coppers with her cane so he shot her. He didn't mean to kill her, but she old so..." Lula trailed off when she saw the wild look on my face. She shrugged her shoulders and attacked her sandwich with gusto.

I swallowed, shaking my head. "No one shot her. That's insane. She died of a heart attack."

Lula gave another shrug. "I heard it was more than that."

I looked over at Connie and she nodded in agreement. "They didn't need to separate us. She was just being rebonded. We could have done it right there where you stood, but they wanted to separate us for a reason. It was weird as fuck. Then about ten minutes later, they told me that she had a heart attack and died."

I nodded then. "It is weird, I agree. I didn't hear any commotion up to the point that Bailey came out to hand me my receipt and tell me she was dead."

Connie frowned. "Who is Bailey?"

My brows furrowed in confusion. "The new guy at the cop shop. Fresh face and looks to be still in high school, but he had a uniform on."

Connie's frown deepened. "I was there yesterday and I don't remember seeing a newbie or hearing the name Bailey."

"I was talking to Joe when Bailey came out and called me by name."

"You and the Italian stud getting back together?" Lula finally cut in with something completely off subject. She was still shoving food in her mouth at a fast rate. Did the girl never eat? I gave a mental eye roll. Of course she eats. It shows. Although the girl can rock some spandex something fierce.

I smiled and shook my head. "He's seeing someone and he's happy. We're just friends." I assured her.

Lula snorted. "You and Batman need to get together. That man is fine and you know his package..."

"I'll ask Joe if he's heard of Bailey, but the man/boy was there in a uniform." I interrupted Lula and her rant on Ranger and his package. Couldn't handle that right now.

Connie nodded. "I'll look for him next time I go." She said, going back to her sandwich.

I shrugged and went back to my own sandwich. I didn't see what the big deal was but my spidey senses were tingling.

R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S

I stood in front of my mirror and smiled. Yes, I smiled at myself. I was just make sure I was dressed visitation proper. My hair was still pulled back in a ponytail but it was a clean one so it looked good. I was wearing more flats because of my ankle, but they were a light sky blue color to match my light sky blue dress. The dress went to my knees, it was long sleeved and it showed absolutely no cleavage. Hopefully it was the perfect visitation dress and my mom wouldn't have a reason to be embarrassed as I ventured out in the 'Burg public. Didn't matter that I was an adult, I still wanted her approval. Although, really, I knew I would never get it.

I let out a sigh and shook it off.

Mascara for courage and lip gloss because well I'm a girl. I smacked my lips together and I was ready to go. I stopped off in the kitchen to spoil my boys before I left. They both had water so I dropped some of their food pellets in their dishes and then gave them a piece of poptart for a treat.

"Bye boys!" I called out before shutting my door.

When I arrived, the place wasn't too busy. I recognized a few people but no one too important. I walked closer to the closed casket and looked around for any family of Velma's. Not that I would recognize any one of them. I did however see my grandmother. Yes, she was trying to open the casket lid.

"Grandma!" I hissed. She either didn't hear me or figured it was someone else calling out of their grandmother. "Grandma Mazur!" I hissed again. This time she jerked back and looked around. Spotting me, she grinned her toothy grin.

"What are you doing?" I questioned as soon as she reached my side.

"Trying to get a good look at Velma. I wanted to see how she looked." Grandma replied.

I gave her incredulous look. "She's dead, Grandma."

She stuck her tongue out at me. "You're no fun." My grandmother pouted.

I frowned. "It's a funeral, Grandma. Not supposed to be fun." I reprimanded her.

"You sound just like your mother." She huffed.

Pretty sure I had just been insulted so I ignored that comment. "I'm going to go find Velma's family." I muttered. "Behave please." I added after a minute of waiting for Grandma to say something.

Grandma didn't say anything about behaving. "Her grandson is standing by the cookies. Good cookies too. He's got chubby cheeks, hair as white as snow, and icy blue eyes."

I nodded. "Thanks. I'll go look for him."

I found him. He wasn't hard to find at all. With white blond hair, blue eyes, and chubby cheeks (just as Grandma described him), he looked like a cabbage patch doll. The only fat on him was his cheeks. He was skinnier than me with only some muscles in his arms.

"Hi, I'm Steph." I introduced myself as soon as I stepped up. He startled out of his thoughts and gave me a small smile.

"I'm Scout. I'm Velma's grandson." He answered back. He asked me a question but I missed it.

I was shocked. I was trying to process his name. Which ironically sounded like a cabbage patch doll's name. I mean, right? Please tell me that was a nickname.

"How did you know my grandmother?" He asked again, his ice blue eyes staring at me way too intently.

"Um... I was her bond enforcement agent. She missed her court date and I was bringing her in." I told him honestly, hoping like he didn't get mad.

He nodded and smiled. This smile took up his whole face. Yep, total cabbage patch doll. He even had dimples.

"Grandma was quirky for sure."

My head nodded in agreement. I was totally going through the motions. I felt bad. "That she was." I agreed. "Um... I have your grandmother's rat... er... Snowball."

Scout laughed. "Oh, you can drown that ugly ass thing."

I wasn't able to stop the gasp that left my mouth, but Scout was still too busy laughing that he didn't notice or he didn't hear. What kind of person would drown a defenseless animal? Even if it was a rat.

"Um, yeah. I just wanted to pay my respects. She was a nice lady." I told him sincerely. Even if she did hit me with her cane.

Scout then yanked me into his arms and squeezed. "Thanks for coming, Steph. Would have meant a lot to Grandma Velma." He gave me one last squeezed and let me go. I stumbled back to find him still grinning at me. Yep, grown up cabbage patch doll was starting to freak me out.

I bid my good-bye to Scout, my grandmother, and a dozen other nosey as hell people before I could get out. Two hours of 'mingling' and I was finally able to leave.

R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S

Stepping off the elevator, shoes in hand, I noticed the piece of paper on my front door immediately. I let out a sigh of defeat and walked up to my apartment door. I didn't need to touch it. They left it for all the world to read.

 _"That dress brought out the blue in your eyes. So gorgeous, you were."_

I let out another sigh. This time one of relief that it wasn't life threatening. At least, not yet. But my spidey sense was going crazy because I knew I had another stalker and it was only a matter of time before it turned threatening.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Y'all seem to be enjoying my little story so far. I'm very thankful for that guys. Very thankful indeed! :-) This weekend was crazy! Can't believe it's already over... So I didn't get a lot of time to write so I'm sorry it wasn't updated until today. Please Enjoy!

Thank you! MomofPhoenix, MarshaMac1215, PhillyGirl27, trhodes9, Barb4psu, Guest, melyons, deviates322, GarbanzoBeans, Claudette miller, AZBarb, shellbell78, Guest, jkgk, HalfBabeHalfBeautiful, and JeanieJ.

A Keurig is a coffee machine, but it can make one cup at a time. It can also make lattes, cappuccinos, hot & cold tea, hot chocolate. It takes little K-cups that can get mighty pricey. I got one for Christmas and I LOVE IT!

Chapter Three  
It's Normal

I did what any normal woman would do in my situation, I called Joe. Lucky for me, he wasn't on a date or anything.. I would have felt horribly bad for interrupting their time together, but nope he was hanging out with the boys, shooting pool and other stuff that guys would do. I don't know because obviously I'm not a guy.

"Hey Cupcake!" Joe greeted me as he stepped off the elevator.

I gave a little wave. "Hey Joe." I replied back. "You haven't been drinking, have you?" I didn't think to ask when I was on the phone with the man. I had been too frightened to think clearly. I hoped he hadn't been drinking and driving because of me. Or at all.

He shook his head. "Nope. I was waiting for Sara to call me. She's out with her friends tonight and she's getting sloshed. Her words, not mine."

I smiled. "Aww, that's sweet. Being the designated driver, huh?"

Joe shrugged. "She asked if I would play chauffeur and I couldn't tell her no." He blushed and I actually giggled for him. He was absolutely adorable when he was in love. I was happy for him and I was happy for me as well. Happy that I wasn't jealous. Happy that I was happy for him.

"Another stalker?"

Joe's question pulled me out of my thoughts and this time I shrugged. "I guess so."

Joe eyed the note. "Any ideas?"

I snorted, shaking my head. "Not a clue, but I never have any ideas. I don't ask for the stalkers. They just... appear." I pouted.

Joe glanced over at me and frowned. He pulled me into arms and hugged me. "I'm sorry, Steph. I know you never ask for this shit. Just follows you where ever you go."

I nodded against his chest and tried not to cry. I hated stalkers.

"There's no clue in the note except that he was at the funeral tonight. Any one stick out?" He asked. I shook my head, pulling away from him. He pulled out an evidence bag from his pocket and using tweezers he slowly pulled the note off the door. He put the note in the bag and zipped it up. "I'll have it dusted for prints but chances are there won't be any prints or if there is he won't be in the system."

I nodded. "I know. But you could you please check my apartment for me?" I asked.

Joe smiled as he nodded slowly. "I will be happy to."

He entered my apartment once I unlocked the door and he went in first. I followed him inside, but I stayed just inside the door. Joe was back in a few seconds, my apartment wasn't that big) and he was shaking his head. "All is good, Steph. Nothing looks out of place or touched."

"Thanks Joe. I really appreciate it."

"We may not be together, Steph, but I do love you. You're my best friend."

I grinned. "Right back at ya." He grinned back.

I went into the kitchen and he followed me. "Want a bottle of water?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Sure."

I tossed him one as I turned around and then immediately frowned as I saw the pinched look on his face. "What's wrong?" I asked him warily.

"Got a question for you."

"Ooookay..."

"Are you and Ranger a... thing?" He asked, looking way too uncomfortable.

I felt myself growing uncomfortable as I shook my head. "We are most definitely not a thing. Why?"

He shrugged. "I saw him with another woman the other night and I was just wondering..." Trailing off, he looked anywhere but at me.

"Wondering if he was cheating?" I questioned. At Joe's nod, I snorted. "He's not. We're nothing to each other." I stated, my stomach cramping. My eyes burned and I wanted to cry. It hurt to say but it was like ripping my heart out of my chest to actually believe that we were nothing to each other. And he was dating another woman. Now I knew I wasn't good enough.

Joe slowly nodded and then took a long swallow of his water. "Would you be interested in going on a date? A double date if you're not comfortable going alone." The uncomfortable notch went up another fifty degrees.

"A date?" My voice shrieked.

Joe nodded again. "Sara's brother." He stated and then shrugged. "He's a nice guy. I wouldn't even mention it if I didn't think he wasn't. He's a few years older than you, he's a construction worker or something. Sara mentioned setting you two up so..."

Biting my lip, I slowly nodded. "Yeah. I'm up for it." I told him. Why not? Wasn't like Ranger and me were ever going to happen. I needed to move on with my life. This date sounded like the perfect way to do that.

Joe smiled. "Awesome! Sara and me will get it set up and let you know."

I returned his smile. "Looking forward to it." And I was. But I was also dying inside because I finally grew up and realized, Ranger and me wasn't going to happen. I was nothing but a joke to him. A source of entertainment. It was time this girl put a stop to it.

R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S

The next morning, I woke up feeling energized and ready to start my 'new' life. I got up at seven and took a shower. Washing away the past, I was. It was almost poetic, I guess. After fixing my hair and my make-up (extra mascara for courage because I was totally going to need it), it was now time to dress for my day. I was getting rid of all my black clothes; the jeans and t-shirts. They had to go. Today I decided for a pair of dark wash blue jeans and emerald green blouse like top. It draped over my shoulders and swished around the waistband of my jeans. Every time I moved, it would show a hint of my tummy. I liked it. A pair of comfortable sneakers later and I was ready to start my day.

I entered my kitchen with a pep in my step. I greeted Rex and Snowball with a smile and some fruit loops in their food dishes. I then poured a bowl for myself. I stood at the counter, watching my boys eat their breakfast and ate my own. I still had two more skips to go after. One of them a low bond and the other a higher one. The lower one was Henry Stiles. He got arrested for being drunk in public. While for being drunk and peeing in public. He was a short little dude that hated confrontation so I think he would be the easiest to go after.

I finished my breakfast, said good bye to the boys and then walked out the door. I made sure to lock up behind me. Oh and I had my pepper spray and stun gun. I drove to Henry's house on auto pilot. See, he lived about a block from my parents so he was easy to find. I only had to knock once before Henry came to the door.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm Steph. I'm a bond enforcement agent. You forgot your court date and I need you to come down and get rebonded." I told him.

He blushed a deep shade of red. Like deeper than tomato red. "I didn't forget." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was too embarrassed to go." He admitted sheepishly.

I hid my smile. (barely) "Oh."

"My girlfriend just broke up with me and I was upset so my buddies took me out drinking. I hate drinking. I do stupid shit when I drink. Not like rob a store or shoot someone stupid, but pee in public or pee on the Cluck n Bucket sign or try to have an eating contest with absolutely no one but in my mind its some world class eating champion. I'm just a fucking idiot when I'm drunk."

I nodded my understanding. "We all do stupid things, Henry. You can't let that get you down. Everyone down at the station does stupid shit too. They won't be judging you. I promise. If they do, I'll kick their asses." I assured him, making him smile. This Henry guy just found a place in my heart. He's such a sweetie. He's definitely the average boy next door. Brown hair, brown eyes, short and very much a sweetheart.

"You're a bad ass." He commented with a big old goofy grin.

I grinned and shrugged nonchalantly. "I try."

That made him laugh. "I'll come and get rebonded, but if they laugh..."

"I'll kick some copper's ass!"

Laughing, we walked to my car together. It didn't take long to get him rebonded and back home. No one laughed at him and nothing mysterious happened while I was there (like another death or something). Once dropping off Henry, I hightailed to the Bonds office.

"Hey white girl! Bout time you showed your lily white ass around here." Lula called out.

I waved a receipt at her. "I got Henry Stiles this morning first thing." I declared.

"That man can not handle his liquor." Connie stated.

I shake my head and handed her my receipt. "No he can't, but he is a good guy."

"He normally is. Who's next on your list?" She asked as she handed me my check of a whopping hundred bucks.

"Um..." I pocketed my check and pulled out a folder with my next skip. "Mateo Perez." I told her.

"He a pimp and an asshole." Lula chimed.

"He was arrested for throat punching a man in the middle of Wal-Mart." I stated, reading over his file.

Lula nodded. "Those prices are getting higher. I be wanting to throat punch one of them cashiers all the time. Only Mateo there had the nerve to do it. I say leave the man be." She shrugged, leafing through her Vogue magazine.

"If I let him be then Vinnie loses his money and so do I."

We then heard shouting coming from Vinnie's closed door. "I ain't losing no damn money. Get yo ass out there and..."

"SHUT UP, Vinnie! You'll get your money." Connie interrupted.

"I'll get him. I have a week before the bond runs out. Right now, I'm heading to the gym."

"Say wha?" Lula shrieked.

I shook my head, trying to get my ears to stop ringing. Yes, she was that loud. "I need to get in shape and going to the gym is my first start. I hate running so I figured going to the gym... I could find something there I could do that wouldn't be a drag but would help with what I need."

Lula shook her head, running a hand over her hair and patting down any stray pieces of hair. "I need a bucket of chicken or some bacon. I don't need no gym. I'm in perfect shape." She stood up then and ran a hand down her very curvy figure, giving us a model-worthy turn.

I smiled. "That's okay. I can go by myself this time. Maybe next time you'll join me."

She sat back down and went back to flipping through her magazine. "We'll see."

Laughing, I shook my head. I was never planning on asking Lula to come with me. Or Connie for that matter. I knew they wouldn't. This was all about me. I needed to do what was best for me and I felt like this was just the beginning.

I waved good-bye and headed out. It didn't take but a couple of minutes to get to the area I wanted where the gym I wanted was located. This one wasn't membership only. You paid a fee as you went in each time and got to stay for as long as you wanted. I knew I needed exercise and I wasn't sure what way to go about to get it. I hated running. Walking seemed like it would take too long. So a gym was hopefully it. But if not then I didn't want to worry about paying for a membership that I would never use.

After stopping off at the Wal-Mart we were just talking about. I ran (speed walked...whatever) inside and grabbed a few good sports bras, a few pairs of yoga pants and a couple of tank tops. All on sale. Only thirty bucks! Woot-woot. I got lucky there.

Once at the gym, I paid my fee, changed my clothes and set to work. I started on the treadmill to work up to the harder stuff. I watched some of the other guys so I did a little of this and a little of that and an hour later, I was covered in sweat and wanting to cry. My legs felt like jelly, my arms... were they even still attached? And my head was pounding. I felt good though (it's a mental thing) but all I wanted to do was take a long warm/cool; I was undecided at this point, shower and sleep until morning or until late this evening.

When I got to my apartment building and my floor, I just about collapsed in front of the door. I couldn't go in. Another note was on the door. Shit!

 _You look so hot in work out clothes.  
You don't need it though.  
I'll help you sweat in other ways._

"Eeew..." This note was more disturbing but still not threatening. But I still wasn't going inside. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I called Joe.

"Hey Steph! What's up?"

"You busy? On a date?"

I heard him chuckling. "No. I'm actually working."

I let out a sigh of relief. "I got another note taped to my door."

This time I heard him curse. "I'll be there in ten. Don't go in."

"I won't." I assured him before hanging up. My legs were shaking so I sat down across the hall and waited. And I did some thinking. I wanted to know who this stalker was. I knew he was at the funeral and I seen a lot of people there. I saw a lot of people at the gym tonight too but no two faces were the same. I hadn't even gone after Mateo yet so that couldn't be it. All my skips lately were low bonds and non threatening, like Henry. I had no idea. I never had a clue who my stalkers were and this time was no different. That was normal.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Have I told y'all lately how much I love you.. I do.. You guys are awesome!

P.S. ChesiBabe, if you're reading this I haven't forgotten ya. However, I can't found any of your information. (email) For some reason, my email isn't pulling up anything. And I've saved a lot of our emails. Please email me. :-)

Thank you! MomofPhoenix, Barb4psu, First Generation Scot, shellbell78, PhillyGirl27, Guest, Bandit3s, melyons, AZBarb, Guest, MarshaMac1215, Garbanzo Beans, HalfBabeHalfBeautiful, Proudofyoubabe, Guest, & Claudette Miller

Chapter Four  
Let's Get Busy

So Joe took that note too and had them both fingerprinted. Nothing pulled up. It was completely clean. I hadn't even touched it. So we were still at square one. I had nothing to go on. I didn't know who this guy was. Joe tried to assure me that we would catch him, but with no clues as to who he is; how is that possible? I wanted to scream out in frustration but instead I decided to better myself in the only way I knew how.

I was headed to the gym. Again. In one of my new yoga pants and tank tops with a bottle of water and of course my bag filled with 'goodies', I was ready to get my ass into shape. As I walked on the treadmill, I went over the information I had on Mateo Perez. He was just at six foot, had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He was twenty-eight years old. He looked to be pretty muscular, not like the Merry Men, but nice. He was of Cuban descent and had a whole list of relatives. His mom was still alive and his dad was too and apparently they were still together. He had aunts, uncles, cousins, three brothers, and a sister. He seemed as though he had a good childhood. So why at the age of seventeen, did he suddenly start robbing gas stations and local houses. After that, he went downhill fast. Wasn't soon after that he got caught picking up a prostitute and fessed up to being her pimp. Really? At just nineteen? Holy shit! After that he only got arrested for violent crimes. Assault, assault and battery, assault with a deadly weapon, and assault with a vehicle. Vehicle? So he ran someone over with his car? Mmmm... we have something in common. Maybe I can work with that.

I laughed to myself and continued reading. He got arrested at the age of twenty-five for destruction of property, assault, and attempted murder. Murder? Apparently, he was at a club and got into an altercation with another man about a woman. Go figure. A fight broke out and they damaged a lot of property before Perez got violet and stabbed the man in the neck. Wow. Diva much? My vision got a little spotty as I had that mental image in my head. I shuddered in horror and continued to read on. The man he stabbed lived. Well, that's good. Soon after the arrest, charges were dropped and Perez was released. Mmm... that's convenient. Since then he's been laying kind of low until he throat punched a man at the local Wal-Mart.

I couldn't help but wonder what happened when he was seventeen to make him turn down this life of crime, hate, and violence. Looks like I was going to have a pay a visit to RangeMan. Again, a shudder of horror went down my spine. Not that I didn't love my Merry Men but I really did not (DID NOT) want to run into Ranger. What if he had his new girlfriend with him? Or if he wanted to talk to me about her? I couldn't handle that right now. I was trying to get my life back on track and running into Ranger wouldn't help at all. I was going to have to call Tank and see when I could come around without running into Ranger.

I finished my work out on the treadmill and made my way to the next machine. And then the next and the next. An hour later, I was walking (barely) out of the gym feeling high as hell. And no I wasn't talking drugs, people. I never knew working out could feel so good. I was actually enjoying myself. But I wasn't about to tell any of the Merry Men that. As I climbed into my car, I called Tank.

"Yo!"

My eyes rolled. I couldn't help it.

"Hey Tank! What's up? You busy?"

"Busy as fuck around here since Ranger left, but got plenty of time for you, Bomber. You know that."

I sucked in a harsh breath. "Ranger's gone?" I asked softly.

A moment of silence stretched over the phone before Tank spoke up. "He said he went by your place?" Tank questioned more than stated.

I nodded before speaking. "He did come by but he didn't say he was leaving." Then it hit me. That was Ranger's MO. He always came by in the dead of night before he went on a mission. That was his thing. I had been too disoriented to fully comprehend that, but that was his way of saying good bye. Ugh! I wanted to _throat punch_ the infuriating man.

Tank let out a small breath of air. "I'm sorry, Stephanie. He left to go on a mission and none of us are really sure when he'll be back." Tank replied in a hushed, almost worried about how I'd react, voice.

I let out my own sigh. "It's cool, Tank. We're only friends. But when did he leave?" I asked. Joe had just seen him out two nights ago, wasn't it? He had been at my apartment the night before.

"He left early yesterday morning around three or so. He had some," Tank coughed before continuing. "Some last minute business to take care of before he could leave."

"Oh." I didn't know how to respond that. He came by my place three nights ago and then two nights ago he had been seen with another woman. Was that his last minute business? Was she his new girlfriend and he was apologizing to her, telling her he was sorry and that he was going to miss her?

"Stephanie!"

Tanks' loud, booming voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I shook my head. "Sorry Tank. I was just spacing out."

He chuckled. "It's cool, Steph. Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I was just wondering if I could come by and use your computers for a skip I'm trying to track down."

"You're always welcome here, Bomber. The guys will enjoy seeing you again. Me too."

I smiled. "Thanks Tank! I'll see ya in a few."

Tank gave me a 'see ya' before disconnecting. Wasn't exactly a good-bye but it was something. Shaking my head, I put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot. I had already went by the Bonds office and there wasn't anything new. I only had Perez for now and I had exactly five days to get cuffs on him and haul his ass back to jail. But first, I needed to know why. I don't know why but it was making me crazy not knowing. There might not be any reasonable explanation to his change of personality but something told me there was.

So here I was at RangeMan to find out exactly what happened. Getting in was easy. Tank meant what he said when he said they were busy. I gave the camera my finger wave because I knew there was someone behind the cameras but the place was deserted. I went to my usually assigned desk and got to work. It didn't take long to find out what I wanted to know. Connie's file left out quite a lot. Perez was on his way to Harvard with a full scholarship. The man was scary super smart and his academic record proved that. He had been wanted by a lot of schools and several of them had been vying for his attention. He was in the debate club, the science club, the Chess club, and he played basketball. His IQ was off the fucking charts. It was higher than Einstein's!

"Fuck!" I whispered to myself and continued to read. He was the popular guy in school. Girls wanted him, guys wanted to be him. The teachers praised him, they loved him. Then it all went to shit. Because of a girl.

"Because of a girl! What the fuck?" Talking to myself... very healthy.

He had met Mina Consuelos at the age of fifteen and they had been dating for two years. When just out of the blue, Mina accused him of raping her and everything went to shit. He had to go to court and because of all this shit, he lost his scholarships, he lost his friends, he lost...

"Everything. He lost everything because of this one girl. Oh my gosh."

A month after the accusation, Mina recanted her statement and told everyone she lied. She had gotten scared because of her Catholic dad.

I bit my lip in thought at that. I understood that part. I was raised Catholic as well, but lying about all that. What Mina had done was horrible. No wonder Perez was pissed off. I would have been too. I wanted to help him. But how? It was ten years later and if he was still angry, he always would be. But then he lost everything! Crap. Where did I go from here? I still had to bring him to justice because after all he missed his court date. Ugh! What could I do for him? How could I fix all this?

Chewing my lip off, deep in thought, I finally had an idea. Only took thirty minutes of staring off into space, but I finally got it. And then, I set to work.

Three hours later, I had accomplished exactly what I had set out to do. Now... all I had to do was wait. I wasn't patient at waiting but I knew this would pay off and I was beyond excited to see the results.

Grinning to myself, I printed all the information I needed and then shut down the computer. I gathered up all my papers, shoved them into my bag and made my way to Tank's office.

"What?" A snarl came through the door and I laughed as I opened it.

"Rough day, Tank?" I asked, grinning at him.

He returned my smile, getting up from his desk. "Bomber! How long have you been here?" He asked as he pulled me into his arms.

I hugged him back. He was warm and familiar and friendly. Didn't realize how much I needed that little hug. "I've been here about four hours. It's deserted around here." I commented as I pulled away and took a seat. He perched himself on the desk in front of me.

He nodded. "Ranger's gone on a mission. Lester left this morning to go on one. Bobby has medical training and he left about a week ago. Hal has been on a mission for the past month and Ram just returned from one so he's busted up as hell and recuperating. Vince had to leave a few days ago because of family stuff. So Hal, Woody, and Bones have been trying to take over Core team duties and they're busting their asses. We've got a few more guys that are doing what they can, but I'm ready for RangeMan to return to normal."

My eyebrows have done reached the top of my hairline in surprise and shock. RangeMan was being pulled in several directions and I felt bad. So I did what I had to do. What I wanted to do.

"Let me help." I offered.

Tank's own eyes widened in surprise. "Bomber, I appreciate it, I really really do, but you don't have to."

I shrugged. "I know I don't but I want to. Let me help. I can do paperwork or surveillance. Deal with clients. I do have a degree in business, Tank."

He held up his hands in surrender. "You won't get anymore arguments from me. You're hired."

As soon as he said that, it was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had been stressing majorly and no one else to rely on. I was just thankful I could help him. I stood up. "Show me what to do." I told him.

"Right now?" He almost bellowed out in shock.

I laughed. "Yes. Now!"

He ushered me towards his chair. "Let's get to work."

And once again, I got lost in the work in front of me and the time flew by. When I stopped for a quick snack, Tank had been gone for hours and I was trying to get the paperwork in 'working' order. Tank was horrid at paperwork. The poor fellow had not a clue at what he was doing. He knew it and laughed about it, but I knew it was stressing him out. As soon as I had everything settled and knew what I was doing, he took off. Said there was real work to be done. I just laughed and waved him off.

After finishing for the day, I ordered a large pizza with everything and went down stairs to Ram's apartment. I didn't even have to knock.

"How did you know I was coming?" I asked the grinning man in the doorway. He was trying his level best to stand upright with one hand grasping the door jam but I could tell he was hurting.

"ESP." He responded, still grinning.

I tried to cock an eyebrow but only failed when Ram actually laughed. He grimaced in pain, but he laughed. "I could smell the pizza, Sweetheart. Now get in here and share that thing with me."

"Don't have to ask me twice." I replied, ducking under his arm and entering his little apartment. The place was clean and smelled really good. After grabbing some bottled water, Ram joined me in the living room.

"Not complaining but what did I do to acquire your beautiful face in my apartment? Are you finally declaring your love for me? Ram teased, wagging his eyebrows and smiling.

We both pulled slices of pizza from the box and moaned in unison at our first bite. Around a bite of food, I grinned at him. "Tank said you were pretty much almost by yourself since everyone is doing something crazy so I thought this was my chance to spend some one on one time with you."

His eyes softened and he reached out, touching my cheek gently. "You're too good to be true sometimes, Sweetheart."

I grabbed his wrist, kissed his palm, and stuck my tongue out at him. "I'm awesome."

He ruffled my hair before sinking his teeth back into the pizza, grinning as he did so. "You are so full of it." He teased.

Laughing and joking with Ram came easy. We ate our pizza, teased and tormented each other, and talked well into the early morning hours. About one in the morning, he told me that I wasn't driving home and for once, I didn't argue.

"Okay." I easily agreed.

His eyes widened in surprise. "You agreed way too easy, Stephanie. Everything okay?"

I gave him a small smile and nodded. "Everything is fine." I lied. I didn't want them to know. Joe knew and I was taking every precaution to protect myself. RangeMan didn't need to know about my stalker. Not yet anyway. "It's just late and you're right, I don't need to drive." I agreed with him. Although the thought of returning back to my apartment to find another note on my door wasn't exactly appealing right now. Or ever.

"I'll put in your favorite movie and we can watch that. Unless you're ready to go to bed now. You can take my bed or I'm sure Ranger won't mind you heading up to seven while he's gone." Ram stated, watching me closely.

I shook my head. "I'll take the couch. You're too big for the couch. We can watch the movie first though." I bargained.

Ram nodded, agreeing way too easily. "I'll take the couch on one condition." He counter offered.

My eyes narrowed. "What?" I asked cautiously.

He chuckled as we settled down on the couch. "You let me teach you how to handle your gun and how to shoot it properly."

He was next to me. I could feel his body heat. And right now with every fiber of my being I was wishing that I felt something more for Ram than friendship. This guy was awesome. He even had my favorite movie. But his offer meant a lot to me suddenly. I could feel him next to me. He was waiting, holding his breath. I knew he thought I was going to say no. I was about to surprise him.

"Ram, I would love that."

He let out a whoosh of breath and his smile was freaking huge. He didn't comment. He didn't ask. He just settled back, drew me against him and we watched Ghostbusters. I fell asleep on his couch and in his arms, feeling safe and secure.

 **Author's N** **ote: This chapter literally wrote itself. I have no idea where Ram came in or the RangeMan job. Steph just took over. Hope you like it! Oh and I'm kind of liking a Ram & Steph story next... (I promise I'll finish Lester's story eventually...got to feel it first!)**


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Oh I just love y'all's reviews! They make me so stinking happy! I wish I could respond to y'all but when I'm not working, I'm barely able to hold my eyes open. I eat, play with my dog(who is btw doing great! He's getting spoiled rotten every day & growing fat since neutered). And when I can I write. Lately, I've been sick a lot. In fact I'm home sick today(Wednesday). Which Sucks! But yesterday while working I was able to write a little bit so I figured while home and resting, I would hopefully finish chapter 5 & get it loaded up for you guys. Thank you so very much for your support.. means so so much..

Author's Note 2: When I started my Lester/Steph story, I was in bad place. I was depressed and not happy. Tried to pretend I was okay, but I wasn't. I'm not in the place anymore. So honestly... I don't know if I will ever finish that story. I've tried re-reading it and going over it, but I hate it with such a passion, it makes me sick. So please don't hate me if I pull it & don't finish it. I will give you guys a Lester & Steph story, I promise. But not that one. Forgive me... :-(

Thank you! TO: jkgk, PhillyGirl27, Angela Mueller, AZBarb, Barb4psu, MomofPhoenix, Guest, First Generation Scot, melyons, Manchester's Stubborn Pansy, MarshaMac1215, Proudofyoubabe, GarbanzoBeans, Bandit3s, shellbell78, HalfBabeHalfBeautiful, Claudette Miller, MMBabefanmmm, and Guest.

Chapter Five  
Pow Pow Pow

"Steph, we sure are out in the middle of nowhere. "If I didn't know better, I would think you brought me out here to have your wicked way with me." Ram teased me with a huge grin. And with a wag of his eyebrows. He's been hanging out with Lester too much.

I rolled my eyes, but my grin was bigger than his. My morning had been a good one for sure. After waking up this morning in Ram's bed, (it was purely platonic, people! Get your minds out of the gutter. Sheesh!). Anyway, after waking up and eating a heavenly breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage and gravy, and the fluffiest biscuits I've ever eaten -better than my mom's, but don't tell her I said that- and before I left for the gym, I swore Ram to secrecy about the gun training. I told Ram that it was a deal breaker. That if he spilled my secret, I would back out. Ram didn't understand why and I didn't want to tell him the truth so I lied. I told him that I wanted to surprise every one at RangeMan when I became an gun wielding bad ass. Not that I really ever thought I would, but Ram with narrowed eyes and a suspicious nature, agreed that he would keep my secret.

In reality, I didn't want them to know because I knew eventually it would get back to Ranger. Ranger chose to back out of my life on his own so he didn't need to know what I was doing outside of his building. I was thankful for everything he had ever given me and everything he had ever done for me, but my personal life was now mine and he didn't know anything about it. Whether it was the gun training, my gym time, or my upcoming date with Sara's brother. I didn't want Ranger in my personal business anymore. Maybe that was childish but for now, I didn't care.

After Ram agreed, he told me he had the perfect place we could practice. I told him that I knew of a better place. A place that didn't have cameras or someone that would recognize me and report back to my mother, Joe, Ranger, or any of the Merry Men. I told Ram that he just needed to bring the gear we would need. I brought my own gun as well. That's right! I retrieved my gun from the cookie jar. I was thinking of putting actual cookies in my cookie jar now. Oreos, chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, peanut butter...

"Stephanie!"

My head snapped back and my eyes met Ram's. He looked a little... odd?

"What?"

He squirmed a little where he was standing and grimaced in pain. "Please tell me you were thinking about food." He practically begged.

I slowly nodded. "Dessert. Cookies, really." I assured him.

He looked a little relieved but still in pain.

"Ram? You okay?" I asked, concerned for him.

He nodded. "I'm good." He gave a little shake and then smiled at me. "Let's get started!" He clapped his hands together in excitement, his eyes flashing with it too.

My heart lit up at his enthusiasm as did my face; returning his eager grin. "If you start to feel too much pain, Ram, let me know and we'll call it quits." I told him. He admitted to me last night all that happened while he was on his mission. Well what happened to him physically. Not what happened on his actual mission.

He shook his head. "Steph, I could be bed ridden and I would still get my ass up for this."

I pressed my hand to my chest and fluttered my eyelashes. "Well, you certainly know how to charm a woman." I flirted with him.

His response was to laugh. "You sure could be mighty dangerous, Sweetheart. Good thing I'm immune to those pretty baby blues. Now where is your gun?" He asked, still laughing.

I pulled it out of my pocketbook. "Right here." I declared.

His eyes went wide. "Where the hell did you get that thing?"

"Ranger. Back when I first started bounty hunting."

Ram shook his head. "Put that thing down. Let me put my gear up and we'll get the right gun for you. That one is all wrong." He stated as he went to work setting everything up.

I turned the gun over in my hand (quit stressing, people. It isn't loaded). "What's wrong with this gun, Ram?" I asked, curious.

"You're small as fuck, Sweetheart. That gun is not suitable for your hands. Not to mention, you won't be able to handle the kick back and it might knock out your teeth. You need a smaller firearm to better fit your hands."

I looked at my gun and then looked at Ram who was setting up the target. "Can it be pink?"

He glanced over his shoulder at me, his eyes narrowed and his lips curled in disgust. "No. It's going to be black and bad ass." He scolded.

I shrugged. "Whatever."

Once he finished setting up the targets, he joined me at his truck. He pulled several cases out from the back seat and set them on the tail gate. He took out several little guns, examining each one before settling on one. It was definitely smaller than the one I had but it was as small as two of the other ones he had. And of course it was black. He held it up in front of me.

"This is one of my personal hand guns. I love this little thing, but I think it would be perfect for you."

"What is it?"

Ram rolled his eyes. Rolled! HIS! Eyes! HA! I was rubbing off on him.

"It's called a Colt Python. They stopped making them in the 90s. This little thing is known for its ergonomics, accuracy, and smooth, tight action. Which makes it perfect for you." He handed me the gun and ushered me towards the targets. "Let's see how you do."

I lined myself up in front of the target and took aim, but before I could shoot Ram interrupted.

"Legs need to be shoulder width apart."

I did as he asked, but when he made his way over to me, I knew I wasn't doing something right. He stepped up behind me and put his arms around me, taking both my hands in his. "Hold tight, Stephanie. Don't be loose when you've got this gun in your hand. Grip it like you want to choke it. Like you're so mad at it that one more minute in its presence and you might just explode." He said while squeezing my fingers around the small little metal object. But I did. I squeezed it like I wanted to kill it.

Ram stepped back. "Hold it tight, squeeze the trigger and when it jerks, hold it study."

I licked my lips and did exactly as he told me to do. I took aim and squeezed the trigger.

"Fucking hell, Steph!"

I jerked at Ram's voice and turned to look at him. "What?"

He shook his head. "Empty the chamber into the target, Steph. Take aim each time you do it." He ordered.

My eyes narrowed at the demand but I turned away and listened. I took aim and emptied the chamber into the target. I dropped my arms to my side and turned to look at Ram. Only he was leaning against his truck and he looked to be in great pain.

"Ram?"

I walked closer to him and he held up a hand to stop me. I stopped. "Don't take this the way wrong, but Sweetheart I'm hard as hell right now." He admitted reluctantly.

My mouth dropped, my eyes widened, and I gasped in shock. "What? Why?" I was clueless. For real!

He looked at me like I was nuts. "Steph, you just emptied that chamber of six bullets in the head of that target. On your first try. You're a natural with a gun in your hand and that's a turn on. A major fucking turn on." He said through clenched teeth.

"It is?" I didn't get it.

"For man like me, it is."

I grimaced. "I'm sorry." And I was.

He waved me off. "It's fine." He finally stood up straight and took the gun from me. "I'm going to show you how to load it and then see how you do with a target coming at you."

"How are you going to do that?"

He grinned. "With my zip line." He answered.

I laughed. "Let's get started."

R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S

We worked on my 'gun skills' for a couple more hours before finally calling it quits. I now know how to load and unload my little Colt Python and shoot it like a pro. I didn't want to take Ram's gun but he insisted. He told me to just make sure I took care of it. I promised I would. I even have a holster for it now. It's on the side of my thigh and according to Ram, it only made me hotter. I thought he was nuts. Still do.

I stepped out of the elevator and onto my floor and let out a sigh. A letter was taped to my door. There wasn't one this morning when I got home and I didn't want to read this one, so I turned around and left. This morning I had loaded up my car with my dirty laundry, planning on taking it to my parents later. I was only coming home to check on Rex and Snowball, but I would just ask Joe. I can't bring myself to read it and even to step foot in my apartment.

As I walked back down to my car, I dialed Joe.

"Please don't tell me..." He answered the phone begging.

"I wish I could, but there's another one."

"Don't go inside, Steph."

"I'm on the way to my parents. I didn't even read the note, Joe. I couldn't."

He let out a string of curses. "I'm sorry, Cupcake. I'll get over there and take care of it as soon as can."

"I'm sorry if you're busy."

"Not at all, Steph. My shift just ended and I was getting ready to head home. I'll stop there first and grab the note and check your apartment."

"Could you please check on Rex and Snowball for me?" I asked.

"Of course. I'll call you when I'm finished."

"Thanks Joe."

"Anytime, Cupcake."

I drove to my parents place on autopilot. I completely blanked my mind. I didn't want to think about anything but doing my laundry and eating whatever my mom was cooking. I was hoping it was her pot roast and a pineapple upside cake. That sounded really good right now. I pulled the bags out of my back seat and walked up the sidewalk.

Grandma Mazur welcome me with her toothy grin and open arms. "Hey Granddaughter! You're looking mighty sexy with that gun strapped to your thigh. What kind is it?"

I laughed at Grandma's words. Those were the exact words that Ram used. "It's a Colt Python. It belongs to a friend of mine."

"Must be a good friend." Grandma commented as she winked at me.

I laughed and headed back to the laundry room, stopping only to tell my father hi. I got my first load going and went straight to the kitchen. "Hey mom! Any leftovers?" I asked, opening the fridge.

"Stephanie, what is that on your leg?"

"It's a gun. I've been taking lessons (okay one..shut up) and I'm now good to actually carry it. I know how to handle it and use it. So no worries." I assured her.

She didn't look convinced but she didn't say anything. She did however push me aside and grabbed several bowls. She then made me a plant of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy. And while that was heating, she sliced me a piece of double chocolate fudge cake. My eyes widened and I dug in. Apparently, they had just finished eating dinner before I got there. Mom was only cleaning up the kitchen when I arrived. It wasn't pot roast but it was delicious. I had finished the cake and meatloaf when my phone rang. I glanced at the screen and saw it was Joe. I told my mom and Grandma I would be right back and took the phone outside.

"Hey Joe."

He sighed. "You want to know what it says, Steph?"

I gulped. "Should I know?" I asked.

He didn't answer my question. "I added another lock to your door and I'm headed that way now to give you the key."

I didn't know what to say to that. "Was he in my apartment?"

"I didn't see anything out of place and the rats are fine. Just added it to be safe, Cupcake."

I bit my lip. "What does the note say?"

"Steph..." He was warning me.

"I need to know."

He sighed. " _So soft. So warm. So pretty. Curly hair spread over the pillow. Can't touch. Not yet. But soon_."

"Does that mean..." I couldn't finish my sentence.

"He's been watching you sleep, Cupcake." Joe whispered softly.

I lost my dinner in the bushes.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Been busy but enjoying this story almost as much as y'all are. Thank you so much for the reviews, the follows, and the favorites.

Oh and I haven't done this yet so... These characters are NOT mine and I am NOT making any money. I'm just playing with them since JE continues to string us along. Enjoy!

Thank you! GarbanzoBeans, PhillyGirl27, MomofPhoenix, First Generation Scot, Angela Mueller, HalfBabeHalfBeautiful, Barb4psu, Guest, Shellbell78, Claudette Miller, AZBarb, Proudofyoubabe, melyons, MarshaMac1215, Bandit3s, Guest, deviates322, Ybanormlmom, Guest, & Guest!

Chapter Six  
Time Does Fly

There was someone in my apartment. Waking up at -I looked at the clock- five in the morning was not my ideal time of waking up but it was even shittier waking up to someone in my apartment. Shaking my head of the sleepiness, I grabbed my gun off the night stand and slowly made my way into the kitchen. I didn't make a sound, I knew better now. I knew how to be stealthy. So when I got to the entry of my kitchen and the person invading my personal home immediately turned around to look at me, there was only one person it could be.

"Ranger?" I questioned.

His eyes immediately went to the gun in my hand and I grimaced.

"Babe?" He responded in kind.

I barely managed to avoid the eye roll. "What are you doing here?" I asked him. It was definitely a coincidence seeing as how this was first night in my apartment in two weeks. I hadn't been back since I received that last note from my stalker.

I stayed at my parents that night. And for a few nights after in fact. I had Joe bring me Rex and Snowball and I camped out in my old bedroom. Well, I did until everyone starting asking me questions. Guess how long it took them. Took them two weeks.

So here I am, back in my old apartment. It looked untouched at first glance. I was pretty sure it had been dusted, but I couldn't be sure. To me though, it gave me the fucking heebie-jeebies. But I was stronger. I was faster. I was more confident in myself in a lot of ways. I was still working out every day at the gym, but now on that treadmill, I was running several miles. I was lifting more weights and when I left the gym I didn't feel like I was going to puke. Ram and me continued our practice at our home made gun range out in the middle of no where. He said I was a natural and he couldn't wait for me to show everyone at RangeMan what I had learned.

I just nodded in agreement but I didn't want them to know. Still don't. In fact when Ram questioned about my time at the gym (since they had been watching my trackers) I told him that a skip I was looking for had been seen at that gym quite a bit lately. I was pretty sure he didn't believe me but he went along with it. Call me childish or selfish, but I didn't care. I didn't want anyone to know. They would want to add their own input, give me their advice, or tell me what I was doing wrong. I didn't want to hear it. I was doing just fine on my own. I had even lost quite a few pounds and I was eating whatever the hell I wanted. I had only changed my exercise routine. I was happy for the most part. But anyway... so when Ram questioned my visits at the gym, I made sure I left my trackers at home. Yep, I know... childish. Bite me.

As I said, I was happy except for that damn stalker. After hiding out at my parents' place for two weeks, he had went into hiding. There had been no notes or anything else left on my door. So since my mom was asking questions and Ram was too, I left. Now here I am back at my apartment and on the first morning I wake up to Ranger in my kitchen. I was most definitely not happy.

I sighed. "What do you want, Ranger?" I asked with a snip of attitude. What? I had the right.

He cocked an eyebrow but he didn't comment on my attitude. "Just returned. Wanted to check in."

I nodded. "All's good here."

That lie he did comment on. "You sure about that?"

I nodded again. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"For one, your gun is not in the cookie jar. I've also heard you've been spending quite some time at the gym. Wanna explain?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No I don't. I'm fine. Things are fine. All good."

His eyes narrowed, his face blank, and his head cocked sideways but he didn't make any move to leave. My eyes wandered away from his dark obsidian ones and my eyes narrowed in on my boys. They both had fruit loops. My eyes narrowed even more and I frowned. I didn't give them fruit loops. Last night I gave them each a carrot and part of the crust from my mom's cherry pie but not fruit loops. I looked at Ranger who was watching me very closely. Could he have? I wanted to ask but then again I didn't because if he said no then someone else did and then he would ask more questions.

Maybe I should tell him about my stalker. But Joe knew and Eddie too. Those two were the only ones. I didn't want Ranger or RangeMan to know. He would want to lock me up in his building and I didn't want that. I believed that as long as I played it safe I would be okay. And if it became too much for me to handle, I would not hesitate to tell Ranger. Until then, it was none of his business.

"You're lying, Stephanie. But I'll let it go for now. But only because Ram told me you two were working together with your firearm."

My mouth dropped and I was instantly pissed off. Ram had promise. This is why I didn't trust people. My fists clenched.

"Relax, Babe. He didn't have a choice but to tell me when I discovered that he had been checking out a lot of equipment every day. So I asked him and he told me that he wasn't suppose to say anything, but I threatened his job."

I wasn't mad at Ram anymore, but I was now pissed the fuck off at Ranger. "You threatened his job! That's fucking shitty, Ranger!" I yelled at him.

He was across the room and had me against the wall in the blink of eye. I sucked in a sharp breath at the feel of his hard body against my softer one. Holy hot flash, Batman! He was hard all over. Stay strong, Stephanie. Strong.

"I have to know you're safe, Babe. And I will do whatever it takes to make sure of that. Ram knew better than to keep secrets from me. Especially about you, but he did it anyway. I didn't hurt him, Steph. He's fine. Pissed off at me, but fine."

I glared at him. I kept my hands at sides and glared. I needed to stay strong. Even if he did smell so good. "You should have respected my wishes, Ranger. That's all that Ram was doing. You should have done it too."

He took a step back. "Needed to know, Babe. I won't apologize for that."

I snorted. "You never apologize for anything, Ranger."

The look he gave me; I almost peed my pants. It wasn't a happy look. But as quick as it was there, it was gone. "When it comes to you, I'll do whatever I have to do."

"Fine. You know so you can leave now."

He nodded, walking towards the door. But then he turned back to face me. "You and Morelli?"

This time I did roll my eyes. "Morelli and me are friends. He's with Sara and they're very happy."

He slowly nodded. "Are you... okay with that?"

I smiled for the first time since I woke up. "I am happy for him. He's happy. He's in love. He deserves it."

His eyes never left my face, they were searching, but I didn't know for what. I was being honest. Finally, he nodded and sighed. I didn't understand the sigh at all. "If you need me, you know where to find me."

"Thanks."

He was gone before I could blink. I made sure my door was locked, frowning when I saw the new deadbolt that Joe installed was still intact.

"How did he do it?" I asked out loud. I knew I would never know so I went back to bed.

R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S

I didn't wake again until nine. But when I finally did drag my ass out of bed, I got to work. I dressed in my work out clothes, left my trackers at home and went straight to the gym. I started out on the treadmill just as I always did. I was finally slowing down my run when I looked and locked eyes with someone I did not want to see.

Now he was invading my gym time. Ugh! I got off the treadmill and practically ran to the women's locker room. How did he find me? I was careful. I checked my parking lot. I made sure I wasn't being followed so how did he know. Ugh! I was so tired of his game. He didn't want me. He just wanted me to want him. He wanted to make sure I was lusting after his ass. What a fucking jerk!

I made my way to the parking lot of the gym and let out a sigh of irritation when I saw Ranger leaning against my car. I clenched my teeth. "Ranger."

He grinned. The bastard grinned. I wanted to slap him. I wanted to kiss him. Ugh!

"Babe."

"I get it. Okay. I totally get it. I can't hide anything from you. I can't have secrets around you. Now, will you leave me alone."

His grin disappeared and he stood up to his full height. His hand reached out and cupped the back of my neck, bringing me to closer to him. Our noses touched. "You know as well as I do, that's not true. You're keeping a very big secret, aren't you Stephanie?" His mouth touched mine and I whimpered. He pulled back and waited for my eyes to open. I hadn't even realized I had closed them. My blues met his dark brown ones. "When you're ready, Babe. I'll be here."

I shook my head in denial, shutting my eyes. He was the one that sent me away. He was the one that sent back to Joe, again and again. He just wanted to play with me; play with my emotions. Once he got bored, he would send me back to Joe. Just like always. Be strong, Stephanie. Remember, he had a girlfriend.

"Babe, look at me." His command was soft; gentle. But oh so powerful.

My eyes flew open. "When you're ready." He stated again. His mouth touched mine once more before he let me go and walked away. I took a deep breath before I got in my car and collapsed. I was shaking uncontrollably and my teeth were chattering. I was so cold. I drove back to my apartment, taking care to make sure that no one was following me. There wasn't. I was happy when I got to my front door and there wasn't any notes on the door.

My happiness was short lived. On the counter was a box of chocolates and a note. _Sweets for my Sweet._

The guy was fucking mental and now he was in my apartment. Ugh! I tossed the note and the chocolates and set to work. I called the super, Dillon and for a hundred bucks to add in his pocket, he added a third deadbolt to my front door. It took him two hours and it cost me a hundred bucks and a six pack but it was well worth it. I then blocked both windows with anything I could find. Cans and boxes from the basement mostly but it did the trick. If anyone tried to enter my apartment, I would know it. As a last minute thought, I took three vegetable cans and tied them together and hung them from my front door. Next time I went to the store, I would grabbed a few bells and add those too.

I was tired of being the victim. I was tired of others targeting me for some sick twisted game. I was NOT weak and I was done with others seeing me that way. It was time I fought back. I was done playing the victim. I was done being weak.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Wow! I didn't think I was going to get this out but here it is! As a trainer at my job, I have to work weekends. However, it's not that many weekends. This weekend was one of mine and the next is in July and then again I in November. But now I work 7 shellbeedays straight without a break so I'm a little tired. My next day off is Saturday, the 11th I think. So this chapter will not be as long as previous, but it's out there now. Whew.. I was worried for a few. :-) Enjoy!

Thank you guys! The reviews from my last chapter were amazing! Love ya! AZBarb, First Generation Scot, Bandit3s, annalynn88, Emma, Marcy53, Guest, Angela Mueller, Barb4psu, OceanWitch, PhillyGirl27, melyons, deviates322, Daffybduck, Proudofyoubabe, GarbanzoBeans, MarshaMac1215, Janarden, mcrmyrangerbabe, jkgk, Claudette miller, JB, shellbell78, and ThePartyParrot! The reviews you guys leave me never seize to amaze me. Just awesome! :-)

You asked...

Chapter Seven  
What He Said

"You ready for that date, Cupcake?" Joe asked, grinning from ear to ear.

I blinked and took a deep breath. This morning or should I say, the night before had been an eventful one for sure. Not long after I rigged my door and windows with my 'alarm' system, someone starting banging on my door. I had been too terrified to do anything. Too terrified to go near my front door to see if I could 'see' who was banging on my door. Too terrified to call for help. Just too fucking terrified. So I stayed in bedroom and told myself I would be strong in the morning. After all, I had every right to be terrified and weak. Then as quick as the banging started, it ended. It hadn't even lasted a full two minutes, but it felt like a life time. I finally checked the door this morning before Joe arrived and found nothing. I'm starting to think I imaged the whole thing. But that's not entirely true.

I finally managed to go to sleep around one in the morning when not twenty minutes later -I checked the clock, it was exactly twenty minutes- I heard a can hit the floor. My heart pounding, pulse racing, and black spots dancing in front of my eyes, I grabbed my little Colt and got out of bed. The fire escape was outside my bedroom window, but this guy; he was outside my living room window. I'm on the third floor. He's either brave or stupid. I'm going with stupid as fuck.

I wanted to call out, but my tongue wouldn't work. It didn't matter though because he took off. I guess my alarm system worked. Since that can fell, I haven't been able to sleep. In fact, I've been doing a lot of thinking.

Then Joe showed up and asked that question. Was I ready? I sighed heavily. Probably not and I probably never would be.

"When?" I smiled at Joe.

"This evening. He's not on call tonight." Joe replied.

"On call?" I questioned.

Joe shrugged. "That's what Sara said."

My brows furrowed in confusion. "I thought you said he was in construction."

Another shrug. "Steph, I don't know. She's got three brothers so I get them mixed up."

I rolled my eyes. "Do you remember his name?" I asked with a sneer.

Joe laughed, shaking his head. "Nope."

I joined him, laughing as well. "You need to listen to your soon to be wife, Morelli." I teased him.

He stopped laughing abruptly, looking about sick. But then, he smiled. "My wife. I like the sound of that."

His goofy grin made me happy. It actually made me giggle. I didn't really like to giggle. I let out another sigh.

Joe frowned and then I watched as if almost in slow motion, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion and then his eyes narrowed in anger.

"Joe? What's wrong?" I asked cautiously.

"Cans? Boxes? Is that a keg?" He questioned, walking towards my living room window.

"It's empty, the keg that is." I stated, shrugging. "You didn't hear the cans on the front door?" I was being sarcastic but you know...

"No I didn't. He replied, his voice hard.

"Oh." I didn't know what to say.

"Why Steph?" He reached out and touched one of the boxes. Running his finger down a seam.

"Why what?"

He slowly turned to look at me. "Why do you have shit in front of your window? Has he been here? Inside your apartment?" His voice was rising with each question.

I shrugged again and pointed to the trash can. "He left candy." I stated.

"He what?" Joe's face turned red as he shrieked.

"He left candy. I threw it away. I didn't eat it." I told him.

Joe looked at me as if I had lost my mind. "Steph, I have no doubts that you would eat it. I know you're not stupid. My problem is that you didn't tell anyone. That you seem as though you don't give a shit that you have a fucking stalker and he was in your apartment!" Joe's voice was once again getting louder.

Now I was angry because he was yelling at me. "I do care. I've been working out and getting better acquainted with my gun because of this shit. I've been more careful and more cautious. What the fuck else do I need to do?" I shouted back at him.

He took a deep breath and pulled the box of candy and the note out of the trash. He was being careful just to touch the corners. He grabbed a plastic bag underneath my kitchen sink and put the box in the bag. "Did it work?" He finally asked after several minutes of silence.

"Did what work?" I countered.

"The shit in front of your windows, Steph?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and slowly nodded. "Yes. A can fell last night so he tried to get in but I guess he took off once the can hit the floor."

Joe's face was red and the veins in his neck and forehead were about ready to pop out of his skin. "You need to get out of this fucking apartment, Stephanie. Ranger-"

I cut him off. "I don't fucking want Ranger's help." I snapped.

Joe's head reared back. "What the fuck, Steph? He'll help you. He can protect you. He can-"

"HE DOESN'T FUCKING WANT ME!" I shouted back before he could say anymore.

Joe's face fell and his eyes softened. "Cupcake, you know that isn't true. I've always had-"

For the third time I cut him off. "He told me as much, Joe." I whispered the words, afraid to hear them.

"What? When?"

I sat down on the couch, my heart breaking all over again. Tears now in my eyes. I didn't want to relive this again. I hadn't told anyone what Ranger said to me that night, but I guess I was about to.

"A few nights after we had that talk- Remember, we went to the fair and spent hours on the rides, laughing and joking." I looked up at Joe to find him nodding. "I remember." He replied.

"I got home to find Ranger in my apartment. He looked different but I didn't know why and I still don't know why. He said he heard that we had broken up for good and he wanted to know if it was true. I told him it was. That we were friends. Good friends, but just friends. He then said I wasn't good for him and that he wasn't good for me. He said I made him stupid, Joe. That I took up too much of his time. He said..." I choked back a sob. Joe moved closer and I continued on. "He said he never worried about it before because you were always there, warming my bed. But now... he had to make sure that I understood that I was nothing more but a good fuck."

I couldn't continue, my voice was clogged, tears were running down my cheeks unchecked. I couldn't continue. Joe took me in his arms and rocked me. "I'll kill the fucking bastard." He murmured against my hair. "That's not true, Cupcake. You're amazing and wonderful and so fucking sweet. Ranger is just a fucking dumbass."

He rocked me until the tears finally stopped. "Before he left, he told me to stay away from him. He told me that I could make use of anything in his building; his apartment, his gym, his resources, his cars, and his men, but he was done. He couldn't do it anymore."

Joe cursed again. "Have you seen him since?"

I nodded against Joe's chest. "I have and he acts like that night never happened. It's almost as if there are two Rangers, but I know that can't be true. Oh... I wish it was though."

"I don't know what to say, Steph. I never thought Ranger would say that shit to you. But I'm still gonna kill the bastard."

I smiled despite the pain. "He acts like he never broke my heart so I pretend like I don't care. It's time for me to move on."

Joe sighed and looked around. "I agree. Moving on sounds good. Damn good. How about a new apartment, Steph?"

I looked up at Joe and frowned. "A new apartment?" I asked, doubtful.

Joe nodded. "Somewhere more secure. Safe."

"I like my apartment, Joe. I don't want this asshole running me out of my home."

Joe nodded, but he still looked determined. "We'll figure something out, Cupcake."

"We?"

He grinned. "We."

I grinned back and wiped my tears. "Now... bout that date?" I asked, making Joe smile more. I wasn't ready. I never would be. Not when my heart belong to someone who didn't want it.

 _Don't hate me!_


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Oh... My... I just want to give you guys a little hint... There is not a second Ranger. :-) When I write story, I like(really LOVE) to think outside the box. It's who I am. I hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am. Heehee... I guess I'm enjoying it a little more since I know what happens. HAHA!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Barb4psu, brandyrennu, Angela Mueller, MomofPhoenix, Bandit3s, melyons, Guest, Nikki9601, Guest, ThePartyParrot, JB, AZBarb, Guest, MarshaMac1215, First Generation Scot, Proudofyoubabe, Guest, jkgk, GarbanzoBeans, Claudette Miller, Ybanormlmom, PhillyGirl27, and SunBabyBoss.

Another short chapter, but I think you guys will love it! :-) Enjoy!

Chapter Eight  
Three Men & Steph

"Hey Joe."

Joe looked up from his newspaper to look at me. We were meeting for breakfast before he had to go in to work because tonight was my date with Sara's brother, he-who-still-has-no-name and Joe wanted to ease my fear. I wasn't scared exactly but my nerves were in high gear. We had already discussed everything that we needed to go over. Joe said he wanted to read the sports page quickly while he scarfed down breakfast. I was finishing my mile high plate of pancakes when I thought of something that I needed to ask Joe.

"What's up?"

"Do you know a Bailey?"

A look of confusion passed over his face as he slowly shook his head. His eyes were kind of glazed over so I knew he was mentally going through all the people he knew. He stopped shaking his head and cocked it to the side.

"We have a new guy down at the station named Bailey. Is that who you're talking about?"

I nodded. "I think so. Really young looking. Like barely out of high school young." I replied.

"Yep, that's Bailey. He's wet behind the ears but eager to please. Why? He say or do something?" Joe asked, his eyes narrowed.

I shook my head. "I was just wondering. He's the one that gave me the news about Velma, but when I mentioned him to Connie she didn't have a clue who he was. She was almost sure that he didn't exist."

Joe chuckled. "He exists alright but he's one of those that becomes wallpaper when something happens." Joe shook his head. "Not that he doesn't want to help because he does, but he's a newbie so everyone is a little reluctant to trust him so he just fades in the background. But when anyone asks him to do something, he's on it quickly."

"Oh. How long has he been there?"

Joe shrugged. "I don't know. Month or so. Maybe. Steph, I don't really remember."

I rolled my eyes. "Any news on what happened to Velma?" I asked, curious.

Joe cocked his head at me and set down his newspaper. His face turned deadly serious and his voice went low. So low, I had to strain to hear him.

"She's disappeared, Cupcake."

My eyes widened. "Disappeared?"

Joe looked around and shushed me. "It's not public knowledge, but her body disappeared soon after it was moved to the morgue."

My jaw dropped and I shuddered. "Was she actually dead?" I asked, my voice in a whisper.

He shrugged. "I honestly don't know, Steph. When she was taken to booking, she was intercepted and gone. Bailey was the one that was pulled aside and told this. Like I said, he's eager to please."

I sighed. "I don't remember who took her to go get rebonded. I had a lot on my mind that day. Damn, I wish I could remember."

Joe reached out and took my hand. "Not your fault, Cupcake. Shit happens sometimes to good people. Whatever happened or is happening to Velma, it's not on you. Maybe she knew something and she was taken or killed to make sure she stayed quiet. It's been known to happen."

I nodded. "So... there's a possibility she's not even really dead?" I questioned.

"I don't know but my guess is, she's been killed. But whoever did it doesn't want anyone to know. Which is probably the reason behind the fake heart attack."

I nodded again. "So who was in the casket?"

Joe gave me a pointed look. "The casket was empty. All for show. We don't want anyone to know. No one knowing means no one panicking."

"Poor Velma. That's just horrible. Has anyone went through her home yet? Searched for any clues?"

Joe nodded. "Several detectives but they didn't find anything that I know of. The house and the rest of her personal belongings have been turned over to her family."

My nose scrunched and my lip curled. "Scout?" I questioned but stated too. I knew that's who he meant.

Joe nodded, laughing. "Didn't think much of her grandson, huh?"

I shook my head. "He wanted to drown Snowball. He's a horrible man."

"He's ..." Joe frowned. "He doesn't have much upstairs that's for sure. When questioning him, there was several times we had to repeat the questions so he would understand them."

"So Scout knows that Velma isn't really gone?"

Joe shook his head. "Oh no, he believes she's dead. We told him that we believe there was foul play involved so we questioned him. He knows nothing or so he acts like he knows nothing."

My brows furrowed in confusion. "Act?"

"He's got a dark mind definitely."

"Dark mind? Joe, that sounds a little scary."

Joe continued to nod. "I don't know if he's dangerous or not. He seems almost too stupid to pull off anything such as murder, but he just seems dark."

I chewed on my lower lip, deep in thought. "Could he be my stalker?"

"Steph, I don't know. I don't think so. Like I said, he doesn't seem bright enough to do any of that shit. You said the guy tried to come through your living room window which is three stories high. He wouldn't attempt anything like that. Not smart enough."

I nodded my understanding but I still wasn't sure. My spidey sense was screaming at me and normally it was never wrong.

R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S

I opened my apartment door and screamed in surprised. Ranger was standing in my kitchen. Why was Ranger standing in my kitchen? Ugh. I didn't want to see him. I didn't want to talk to him. Oh but I wanted to touch him. I wanted to hear his voice as it flowed over me like honey. Damn it! I didn't need this.

I stopped in the kitchen entry way and ran my eyes over him. Dressed in black combat boots, black cargo pants, and the tightest black t-shirt known to men, he looked just like he always did. Hair pulled back in a low ponytail, black eyes dark and his gorgeous face, blank just as always.

"What are you doing here, Ranger?" I snarled. I had to keep my heart in check and I had to keep an attitude. Anything to get this moment over with.

He cocked an eyebrow at me. "Heard you had a date." He stated.

I wasn't able to keep the surprise off my face. I should have known he wound find out. Rangers knew every damn thing. "None of your business, Ranger." I snapped.

I was almost positive he chuckled, but I couldn't be sure because he didn't move. But his lips tilted. "Everything about you is my business, Stephanie." His voice was low, it sent a shiver down my spine. And he used my first name. That was never good. He meant business when he said my name like that.

I took a deep breath. "Last time we talked, you _talked_ a lot. You said quite a bit and I believe one of them was you wanted nothing more to do with me. So fuck you, Ranger. My date is none of your business. My life is none of your business; personal, business, or sex life. I am none of your business so just get out." I was practically screaming by the time I was finished but I should have known Ranger had more to say.

In the blink of an eye, he had me between the wall and his rock hard body, he was pressed so tight against me, I could feel _everything_ and his nose was touching the shell of my ear and his breathe was teasing, sending shivers of pleasure down my spine. "Let's get a few things straight, shall we?" He whispered in my ear, his voice low and seductive. "You are and always will be my business. Your personal life, your business/work life, and most definitely your sex life will always be my business. Don't think otherwise, Stephanie."

He pulled back, just enough to meet my eyes. His blank face dropped and I gasped at what I saw. Pain like never before. Looking into the obsidian pain filled eyes of Ranger and my knees buckled. I was drowning in a sea of pain. Not mine. All his. So much pain. Just as quickly as he dropped it, the blank face slid back into place and the pain was gone.

His hand cupped my cheek and his thumb caressed. "Sometimes we have to do/say things we don't mean in order to save our lives or the lives of someone we care about or love. I want you to remember that. Can you do that?" He asked, voice silky and sexy.

I nodded.

His lips brushed my forehead. "Go on this date, Steph, but don't get comfortable. It won't fucking last. And I just might kill him if he touches you." That time, his voice was hard as steel. He wasn't happy. I just nodded. I didn't know what to say. My mind was still on his cryptic message. What did he mean?

His lips touched my own and my mind jolted back to the here and now. Soft kisses turned into deep kisses and then I was melting into Ranger's arms. His tongue came into play and I almost came on the spot. I shivered as he pulled away. He grinned and I flushed. I really loved his grin.

"Soon, babe."

With another brush of his lips on my forehead, he was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Forgive me for missing my update last week. I've been battling a 'cold' since right after Christmas, maybe before but being so busy I hadn't really paid attention. The last month or so I've been dealing with constant headaches, coughing off and on again, and 'stuff' in the back of my throat that while at work, I would just swallow back down. Disgusting I know, but I couldn't afford or take the time to deal with it. Last Friday(17th), I starting coughing while at work and I couldn't stop. They were deep, racking coughs that hurt so bad. I went home early. Coughed non-stop pretty much and coughed stuff up. Saturday wasn't too bad, but I was still coughing. Sunday, I woke up feeling like death. And I was coughing up blood. That scared me. Anyone who knows me, knows that I avoid doctors like a plague, Sunday I went to the doctor. (We have an emergency clinic but its not the er). That's where I learned that I had a sinus infection. First one ever! Lol. And I've had it about a month or so, maybe longer. Doctor said I definitely needed antibiotics. I preceded to miss work on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I only went to work on Friday because I wanted something on my paycheck. Lol. I felt horrible. I think I sneezed over a hundred times just on Monday. Tuesday was better but not by much. Now, today... a whole week later and still two more days of antibiotics, I feel pretty good. I still have a slight cough and I'm hacking up stuff, but I feel human again. So while this might not be as long as I would like it to be... please enjoy it a week late... :-)

Thank you! PhillyGirl27, Angela Mueller, First Generation Scot, Barb4psu, OceanWitch, Guest, Marcy53, brandyrennu, trhodes9, Bandit3s, melyons, JB, Proudofyoubabe, GarbanzoBeans, MarshaMac1215, shellbell78, Guest, AZBarb, jkgk, & Claudette Miller.

Chapter Nine  
Buffalo Style

"Holy crap on a cracker." I mumbled under my breath as I got my first look at Sara's brother. He was hot. He was muscular. He was good-looking as hell. He was familiar as hell too. He was a nurse. That's right, he was my nurse. From that night. Holy crap.

He grinned at me. "Now normally, I hate blind dates, but this is most definitely a damn good surprise."

I blushed and he chuckled low and it was sexy as hell. "Nick."

Joe and Sara were both standing there looking all shocked and shit. "You two know each other?" Joe questioned, watching our faces.

Nick nodded, his smile getting bigger. "I was her nurse that night she came in with a sprained ankle."

I turned a glare on Joe. "He's definitely not a construction worker." I snapped.

That earned another chuckle from Nick. "Actually I am."

Confusion marred my features as I turned my attention on Nick. "What? You are?"

He nodded. "It's the family business, but I'm also a nurse." He flexed for me, grinning. "I don't get muscles like this working in a hospital." He teased.

I blushed... again. "Oh." I couldn't form anymore words than that. He was so damn good-looking.

"Um...well... let's go eat then." Sara stuttered out, watching her brother closely.

I didn't quite get the look on her face, but I didn't care either because I was on a date with Nick. Hot, sexy nurse Nick and I was going to enjoy every single minute of it. Maybe get a kiss out of it. Ranger could go fuck himself.

That made me giggle. Nick's hand came to rest at my lower back as he arched an eye brow at me. I smiled at him, shaking my head. He guided me as Joe guided Sara to our table at a local restaurant I didn't frequent often. It kind of reminded me of Ruby Tuesdays or Applebee's. I watched as a waitress with two of the biggest burgers went by me and my mouth watered. I knew what I was ordering.

We took our seats, ordered our drinks, got our menus, Nick ordered appetizers for everyone and then we were alone again. "I hope you like the place, Stephanie. It's one of my favorite places to eat." Nick spoke up first as I was taking in the décor.

"I like it." I simply stated.

"The burgers here are to die for."

I smiled. "I saw their burger a few minutes. It's already what I want." I replied.

"Is that why you haven't even opened your menu?" He asked, curious.

I nodded, glancing over at Joe and Sara. Joe had his head stuck in the menu while Sara was watching her brother. She seem to do that a lot. Like her eyes have yet to leave him since we were introduced. I was beginning to get creeped out by that.

"Is that why you haven't opened yours?" I returned the question.

He nodded. "I pretty much get the same thing every time I come here. I too love their burgers."

"Changing things up have their advantages though." Sara finally spoke up. "I like changing things up." She added after a minute.

He sent a look to his sister, one that wasn't too friendly before turning a smile on me. "I do change it up a little. They offer different types of meat so sometimes I change it out, but the burgers are delicious no matter what."

"Meat? What kind of meat do they offer?" Joe asked, letting us know in was the conversation.

Nick shrugged. "They offer the normal, chicken and beef but they also have alligator, buffalo, elk, and shark. They have an excellent shark burger, but today I think I'll stick with buffalo. The buffalo burger is really damn good."

"Shark?" I squeaked.

Nick chuckled, nodding. "Not too bad..." His head lowered and his voice dropped. "But for your _first_ time, I think you try the buffalo burger."

I shuddered and Nick's smile got bigger. He pulled back and focused his attention on Joe and Sara. My heart was still racing and my mind was pretty much blank. He made that one simple line seem so dirty but sexy at the same time. Suddenly, I wanted to get to know Nick a little better, but Sara was still freaking me out. While Nick was explaining to Joe about the differences in the taste of the meats, Sara was watching her brother. Almost like she expected him to literally blow up at any minute. It was making me wonder if there was something wrong with Nick. My eyes went from Sara to Joe and then back again. If there was something wrong with Nick, Joe had not a clue either. He was acting too normal and I seriously doubt, he would have willingly set me up with Nick if there was something wrong with him.

I shook my head clear of my thoughts and focused on my dinner. Maybe Nick just had a habit of scaring away women or something with his different tastes in meat. I stifled a giggle at the innuendo I just made and focused on the appetizers just placed in front of us. Onion rings, mozzarella cheese sticks, chicken wings, and jalapeno poppers were piled high on a server type plate. A smaller plate with several different types of sauces were sitting next to it. My mouth watered and I happily dug in.

When the waitress returned, we each placed our order. Nick and I both ordered the buffalo burger with the works and their delicious(according to Nick) seasoned steak fries. Joe ordered the normal beef burger while Sara ordered some sort of a chicken plate. I wasn't really paying attention since I was stuffing my mouth full of these delicious appetizers.

"Good?" Nick asked.

I nodded, keeping silent.

Nick grinned, obviously pleased with himself. "Good. I'm glad you like the appetizer. Just wait for the burger. You'll be asking me to marry you before the night is over."

I almost choked on my cheese stick, which only made Nick laugh. I gave him a glare which only made him laugh harder. He had a really nice laugh. Deep and sexy. Not as sexy as...

I broke off that train of thought when our burgers were delivered. It was indeed piled high with lettuce, tomato, and pickle. Oh and bacon, but the burger itself was freaking huge. It had to have been at least two inches thick. It was already covered in mustard and ketchup so I just eyed it. I wasn't sure how to actually eat it.

I looked over at Nick when I heard(and felt) him laughing beside me. When he saw my attention was on him, he handed me a knife. I took it with confusion. He nodded towards my burger. "Cut it in half, Sweetheart. Makes it a lot easier to eat."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks." I replied, turning back to my burger, I cut it in half. I then picked up my first half and took a huge bite. I moaned in ecstasy. It was good and juicy. The spices were perfect. Oh my gosh, it was like a orgasm in my mouth. I looked to find three sets of eyes on me. "What?" I mouthed around a bite of the yummiest burger on the face of this earth. Sara looked appalled while Joe looked a little uncomfortable. As for Nick, he looked delighted.

"Good, isn't it?" He asked me with the biggest smile on his face.

I nodded, taking another bite. I was too busy stuffing my face to care about making conversation. That could come later.

Nick leaned closer, his mouth touching my ear. "Ready to marry me yet?" He teased with a grin.

I took another bite and nodded. "Tonight." I muttered around a mouthful of buffalo.

Nick threw his head back and laughed. Joe gave me a look that said he hoped I was joking and Sara... well, she looked absolutely frightened.

R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S

When we made it off the elevator, I took a glance towards my front door. I was so very grateful that it was devoid of any notes. I turned back towards Nick and grinned. We long ago ditched Sara and Joe. Sara was making me uncomfortable and Joe said he had an early day tomorrow so he was ready to go anyway. Nick and I on the other hand, weren't quite ready to call it a night. So we went to the movies where we watched Spilt. That movie about the different personalities. It was freaky as shit and I was glad I had Nick there to hold on to. Nick seemed to enjoy that part. Then after the movie was over, we took a drive to absolutely no where and talked.

"Steph, I had a great time tonight." He commented as we approached my door.

I smiled at him. "I did too. That burger was delicious and the ice cream was good too." Apparently the restaurant made home made ice cream that was to die for. No joke.

Nick grinned back at me as I leaned against my front door. He placed a forearm above my head and leaned in closer. "You are fun to watch, Stephanie, but you're even more fun to hang out with. I hope we can do this again."

My smile widened and I nodded. "Me too."

He leaned in closer and his mouth brushed against mine. Softly. Sweetly. And then he back away. Still grinning. "Good night, Sweetheart."

I touched my lips. "Good night, Nick."

I entered my apartment as Nick entered the elevator. I was still touching my lips. The night had been amazing despite Sara's weirdness. Nick was attentive and sweet. He was funny and good-looking. He made conversation. He liked my job and loved hearing about it. That kiss... while sweet and almost sexy, I felt nothing. No fireworks or butterflies. Not even a tummy flip. My life seriously fucking sucked. I just wanted to feel something.

I entered my kitchen and immediately went still. It was empty sans Snowball and Rex, but something felt off. I looked closely at their cages and nothing was amiss. No food that shouldn't be there or anything. Everything on my counters were exactly as they were suppose to be. I opened all the cabinets and the fridge and nothing was moved and gone and nothing was added. Everything was just as it should be. That didn't explain my uneasiness though. I went through my apartment, my gun in my hand, but nothing was out of place. My make-shift alarm system hadn't been touched.

I took a couple of deep breaths, made another round of my apartment before finally deciding that I was just losing my mind. I grabbed a bottle of water and went to bed. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, washed my face, pulled on my pjs, and climbed into bed. While flipping though facebook, I guzzled my water. I hadn't realized I was so thirsty.

Thirty minutes later, I finally crawled under the sheets. Within minutes, I was out.

I woke up feeling groggy. I wasn't sure what time it was but I couldn't even raise my head to look. I was out of it. Completely out of it. My eyes too heavy to fully open, I glanced around my room. Nothing looked out of place. But I was too tired to fully wake up. I nodded back off just as quickly as I had woken up.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Finally... Some Answers! But not all of them... Enjoy it a little early!

Thank you! PhillyGirl27, Proudofyoubabe, trhodes9, Barb4psu, emmme3, melyons, Guest, Guest, MarshaMac1215, JB, aruvqan, Claudette Miller, Bandit3s, First Generation Scot, Guest, and ThePartyParrot.

Short but Sweet!

Chapter Ten  
Chocolate Doesn't Always Help

"So, I have news on Velma and Scout." Joe announced as he made himself at home in my kitchen.

He woke me up, pounding on my door and yelling my name. When I opened my door, he breezed past me mumbling something about meetings and work and he didn't have too much time before he had to get back to work. While he was pulling breakfast sandwiches, donuts, hash browns, and who knew what else out of the bags he had, I was racking my brain, trying to remember. I massaged my temples, trying to make the pain go away. Oh fuck, I had a headache from hell.

"Cupcake, you okay?"

I looked up to find Joe right in front of me, a look of concern on his face and in his voice.

I slowly nodded, wincing at the pain in my skull.

"Steph, you look kind of... out of it?" He made it into a question. I guess he wasn't sure what to call my state of mind at the moment.

"I feel out of it." I admitted.

Joe's brows furrowed with worry. "You are looking a little rough, too." He stated with a smile.

"My head is pounding."

Joe reached up and replaced my fingers with his own and rotated them in circles on my temples. "Does that help?" He asked, hopeful.

"Not really. I think I need some aspirin for sure." I replied.

He stepped back and nodded. "And maybe some greasy food." He grinned.

I grinned back. "Definitely."

After grabbing a coffee that Joe had brought and some aspirin, I took a seat. I then preceded to grab a sausage egg biscuit, hash browns, and a donut with sprinkles. I was really hungry. Don't judge me! Judging is wrong. So there.

"Sooo... you said something about Velma." I hinted as I took a huge bite out of my sandwich.

Joe nodded, chewing. "She was into human trafficking, Steph."

My eyes got wide as the black dots clouded my vision. "Trafficking?" I squeaked out, horrified.

He chugged his coffee after finishing his sandwich. "So apparently, she got caught up with the crowd -"

"Wrong crowd?" I interrupted. "She was like eighty."

He grinned. "That she was, but it was her family actually. Her son started it and she pretty much stumbled in on a bad screen. She's been a spy for the FBI for the last two years."

"Ooo-kay." I was confused. "Can you explain some more?"

He nodded. "She walked in on a sale. Son threatened her so she kept her mouth shut her about six months, but she couldn't handle the guilt anymore. She went to the police chief, not sure who to trust. Lucky for her, she could trust Chief Juniak."

"And then?" I urged him on.

"She was given to the FBI pretty much. They asked her to be a spy for them so they put her son and his crew behind bars for good."

"And she did?"

He nodded again. "She did."

"Sooo... she's not dead then?"

Joe took a deep breath. "She could be." He winced as he said it.

Confusion etched my features. "I don't understand."

"There's a leak in our department. Not sure who, but there's a small group of us investigating this along with the FBI."

"A leak?"

Another nod. "We don't know who. Don't have a fucking clue either."

"So whoever took Velma wasn't a good guy for sure now." I asked, my voice shaking.

He shook his head. "No. Whoever grabbed her knew what she was doing and they..."

"Not good, I know." I cut him off.

Joe grimaced at my tone. "I'm sorry, Steph. I know you were holding out hope."

I shrugged. "Wasn't your fault."

"Doesn't mean I'm not sorry, Cupcake."

"She wasn't nice to me." I stated, tears welled up and I bit my lip trying to stop them.

"Steph..." Joe's voice was low and sympathic, but it was the fact that he rounded the counter and pulled me up and out of my chair and into his arms that made the tears finally spill over and down my cheeks.

"She hit me with her cane and sprained my ankle, but I didn't want her to die." I sobbed in his arms.

He rubbed my back. "I know, cupcake."

"I need chocolate. Did you bring any chocolate?" I whined.

I felt Joe chuckle. "I brought some chocolate donuts."

He urged me to sit back down and put a chocolate donut in front of me.

"What about Scout?" I asked around a mouthful of donut and chocolate-ly goodness.

"He's disappeared. Fell off the face of the earth. We can't find him."

I swallowed the donut lodged in my throat. "Is he involved?"

Joe nodded, eating his own donut. "He's the one that lures them in."

My mouth dropped. "What? He doesn't seem..."

"Smart enough." Joe finished my train of thought.

I nodded slowly. "Exactly."

"Let me explain a little more. It's not sex trafficking."

"Oh? What? It's not?"

He shook his head. "Scout travels around the world. He finds people that are in dire circumstances and lures them in. He lures immigrants from all over the world to the good old US of A with the promise of a better life. But then they're sold into slavery."

"Can't they just leave? I mean, they are adults, right?"

"They are but they're usually threatened with something. Could be a family member or being deported back to where ever they came from or even going to jail. They're too scared to do anything about their situation. Too scared of the consequences to think about actually getting away."

"What about Velma's son?"

Joe curled his lip in disgust. "He's not in even in the US last I heard. So I'm not really sure."

But now, Velma's missing, presumed dead. Scout's disappeared. There's a leak in the police department and there's a slave trafficking ring right here in Trenton, New Jersey. Am I missing anything?" I laid it all out on the table.

Joe cocked an eyebrow. "You have a stalker." Joe added, pointing out something that I wanted to forget.

I let out a sigh. "Yes I do." I put down my donut, my appetite gone.

"Have you received any more gifts?" Joe questioned, looking around my apartment, his body tight with tension.

I shook my head. "Not even a note."

Joe nodded. "Good. But even still, please keep be vigilant."

"I will. I promise."

He let out a sigh. "The chocolates you received were just chocolate. No poison, no fingerprints, no clues."

I let out another sigh. My life sucks.

"Sooo... Cupcake, did you have a good time last night?" He asked, a small smile teasing the corners on his face.

I nodded. "I did have a good time. Especially once we ditched you and Sara."

Joe's eyes widened. "Did you two..." He motioned with his hands in reference to us having sex.

I rolled my eyes. "No, you idiot. We just hung out and talked. He's really cool. And nice and sweet..."

Joe chuckled. "I feel a but coming."

I nodded. "There's no chemistry. It was like kissing my grandma."

Joe shuddered in horror and I laughed. He glared at me. "I'm sorry there's no chemistry there. He really liked you."

I blushed. "He did?" I asked, a little surprise.

Joe shook his head. "Don't act so damned surprise. You are a great catch, Steph. But yes, Nick really liked you. So much so that Sara was just in shock at her brother last night."

I shook my finger at Joe. "I saw that! I saw the way she was acting! What was up with that? She was creeping me out."

Joe threw his head back and laughed. "According to Sara, Nick is a major ass and a player. He was acting way different than he normally does around women and Sara was shocked as shit. Even the part where he joked about marrying you, she almost fell out of her chair. She said Nick wouldn't have even joked about that before. Sucks there's no chemistry because Nick thought a lot of you."

I frowned. Figures. Fuck my life.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: So... I owe you all a HUGE apology. I haven't been around in a while and I know I needed to update. Forgive me. I've just honestly been lazy. Busy...of course. I'm always busy, but lately I find that when I've got a spare minute or two or even a few hours to do nothing, I've done just that... Nothing. Relaxing, watching my fave shows, or just reading the latest books from my favorite authors. I know I've had to update and I knew as soon as I got my mojo back, I would be back and here I am.. so... I'm sorry and please forgive me.

Thank you for the last reviews... Bandit3S, Angela Mueller, Barb4psu, brandyrennu, GarbanzoBeans, PhillyGirl27, melyons, Guest, Proudofyoubabe, MarhsaMac1215, Guest, S.K. Steven, First Generation Scot, JB, glynnall, ThePartyParrott, Claudette Miller, Blistful2006 and, MMBabefanmmm(for Done Watching). Truly some awesome reviews!

Chapter Eleven  
Poor Girl

After Joe left, I grabbed a quick shower before heading out. I dressed for business today in black jeans, black Henley and my vans. My hair was pulled back in a ponytail and my mascara was thick with courage. After everything that Joe had told me and this headache still pounding away at my skull, I needed a lot of courage to even make it out of my apartment. Maybe some liquid courage as well. Some beer or something even... stronger. Ugh, this headache.

I took a few more aspirin before heading out the door. My first stop was the bonds office, after a quick stop of course. I breezed through the door with a box of donuts in my hand. Of course, I grabbed donuts before coming here. If I didn't, I was likely to get jumped or something.

"White girl got suga'." Lula declared loudly as she jumped off the couch and came running at me. I mean towards me.

I gave her a grin and handed her the donuts, securing my safety. I then turned my attention to Connie. "Anything new?" I asked, hopeful. Despite the headache, I was hyped up and ready to get my day started.

Connie handed me two folders. "Yep. Got ya covered today."

I accepted the folders. "Who is it?" I asked, but I really wasn't expecting an answer. After all, I had the folders now. I always asked but I never knew why I did. I could just flip open the folder and tada! At the tip of my fingers...

I flipped open the first one. "Mooner! Really?" I scoffed, a little shocked. "Didn't he just get arrested and I had to bring him in a few weeks ago." I wondered out loud.

Connie shrugged. "Probably so. I think he's fucking bored out of his mind. Dougie's been in jail for the last three months."

My mouth dropped as wide eyes found Connie's laughing ones. "What? For what? How come I didn't hear about it?" I shot off rapid fire questions.

"He was arrested for drugs with intent to sale because he was caught with a hefty amount. Almost two pounds of weed which we know that was probably just his stash for him and Mooner to share, but the po-po see that much as wanting to make a sale. And he's not out on bail because they set the bond way fucking high. And I don't have a clue why you didn't know. I would have figured Mooner would have told you. Mooner thinks the world of you."

I smiled softly. "He does?" This was news to me.

Connie nodded looking at me like I had lost my mind. "I'm surprise you didn't know this."

I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders. "I didn't know." I was surprised and humbled.

Connie laughed. "You're usually the reason he skips court." She pointed out.

That made me giggle. "That's too funny and I'm sure it's not true. He's just too high to remember. I'm gonna have to get him to stop that."

"I doubt he will." Connie stated, rolling her eyes.

I rolled my eyes in return. "You're probably right."

I shut Mooner's folder and opened the second one. "Leticia Morgan. Thirty-four years of age, five two and she weighs hundred and two pounds." I curled my nose. She was a skinny bitch. Always had been, even in school. Ugh. Some girls, all the luck. "Blond hair, green eyes and arrested for..." I stopped reading and looked up. This had to be a joke. Lettie was such a good girl growing up. "Seriously?" I asked.

Connie grinned. "First time for everything." She shrugged. She knew Lettie too.

"The arresting officer was her ex-husband." I huffed. Oh, I was pissed.

"Yep." Connie agreed with a pop to the 'p'.

"What an ass!" I commented and loudly. I fucking hated ex-husbands.

"Yep." Another agreement. Another pop.

I tried to cock an eyebrow but I'm pretty sure I failed. "What's the whole story? And again, how did I miss this?" I couldn't believe I've missed so much. I was always in the midst of the Burg gossip.

Connie laughed. "It was all anyone talked about for days." She teased and I glared. Connie continued to chuckle as she continued with her story. "So Lettie's husband left her for a younger..." Connie glanced at Lula and then back at me. "Man."

I spewed my coffee all over Connie who thankfully didn't get upset. She only laughed harder. "What?" I practically yelled.

Connie nodded. "Exactly. It was really unexpected. Most of the Burg knew but her ex was keeping it on the down low. Then something happened between the two of them and he turned nasty."

"What happened?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Don't know. No one does. Just one day he was quiet about the fact that he was gay and in love with a younger man and left his wife for this younger man, and the next day he was shouting to the roof tops that it was wife that turned him into a gay man. That she was shitty in bed and she didn't know how to pleasure a man to save her pathetic little life and on and on."

My eyes narrowed. "What a fucking bastard! Didn't his new found partner care about all this?"

Another shrugged. "Don't know if he does or not. He's one of those quiet types."

"Oh..."

"So Lettie was at the mall, at Victoria Secret because after all, most of us girls go to Victoria Secret when needing to feel beautiful." I nodded in agreement as Connie continued. "Apparently, her ex was there with his new lover as well and he caught sight of Lettie in VS and he went stupid. Starting telling anyone who would listen that she had no right in VS because she didn't have the curves for their gorgeous lingerie and then went in to tell everyone that she couldn't please a man. Right there in the middle of the fucking mall!"

"I would have cut his dick slam the fuck off." Lula suddenly announced. I snorted and coughed and practically choked on my own spit. I had completely forgotten she was there.

Connie laughed, nodded in agreement and continued forward. "Lettie got pissed too. She stripped down to her bra and panties right there in the middle of the mall and preceded to tell everyone that she had a smoking hot body and she knew exactly how to suck a fucking cock. Um...her words, not mine."

This time I choked on my donut. "She did not?" I gasped. I couldn't believe that. Lettie had always been such a goody two shoes. And very self-conscious of her body. She always hated gym and the locker room.

"She did and then her bastard of an ex-husband arrested her. He arrested her for indecent exposure, assaulting a police officer because she slapped him, resisting arrest and then theft, because when she slapped him she had to walk out of the store to get to him and she had a bra and panty set in her hand when she did so."

"I want the slap the asshole myself. What the hell? Was he in uniform at the time?" I asked and Connie shook her head. "Then how did the charges stick?" I questioned.

"Friends in high places, Steph. It goes far."

I chewed on my lip for a minute, thinking of something truly evil. I knew I shouldn't but I hated ex-husbands and this guy was an officer and he was using that power for evil, so an eye for eye. "Can I have his address?" I asked nicely.

Connie cocked an eyebrow at me in question but didn't say anything before she rattled off his address. I grinned. I knew exactly where that was. "Lula, wanna ride?" I asked, grabbing another donut.

She grinned, knowing I was planning on something not so ethical. "Let's go, white girl." She hopped up, grabbed two... no three...nope four donuts and out the door we went with a wave to Connie.

"Where to first?"

I grinned. "The ex's place. He needs to be taught a lesson."

Lula's brows furrowed. "I don't like the po-po, Steph. They be arresting my ass because I used to be a lady of the night."

I rolled my eyes. "No one is going to arrest you or me because he will not be seeing us."

She huffed. "What's his name?"

"Lettie's folder said his name was Matthew."

"We should go to the Clucky first." Lula suddenly announced.

My head swung in her direction. "What? Why?"

"Their trash day is tomorrow. So right now it's got to be smelly quite raunchy right now." She said. Normally. Nonchalantly.

My eyes widened ever so slowly. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

She shrugged. "Maybe, but I ain't saying anything out loud." She stated.

I laughed as I turned my vehicle around and headed towards Cluck-In-the-Bucket.

Thirty minutes later, we were in front of Matthew's house with a trunk full of the stinkiest trash known to mankind. Oh hell, it was horrible. I'm pretty sure I threw up. I knew for a fact Lula did. It was that bad. No seriously... I was pretty sure I wasn't ever going to eat at Clucky's again. Never. That bad.

"How long we gotta wait?" Lula asked, two seconds after we parked and then again in ten seconds and then a minute later. We had been here a total of three minutes and she had asked fifteen times how long we had to wait.

I shrugged. "Gotta make sure he's gone. And that no one else is here."

Lula sighed. "We should have brought provisions. I'm hungry."

"What happened to those donuts?" I asked.

"What donuts?" She looked at me like I was crazy.

"The ones from the Bonds office."

She rolled her eyes. "Girl, I ate those. I ate those before we even got into the car."

I kept the laughter in, but it was hard. I had wonder where they had gone. She sighed again. I pulled out my phone and called Joe.

"Yo."

"Hey Joe. You working?"

"Yeah... everything okay, Cupcake?" He asked, cautiously.

"Yep, I was just wondering if you know Matthew Morgan."

"I do. Why?"

"He working?"

"Yeah, both him and his partner." Joe replied.

"Oh. His work partner or um..."

Joe chuckled. "Both. He fell in love with his partner."

"Oh."

"Yeah. What he did to Lettie was shitty as fuck and everyone around here is a little pissed at him. Even his own partner."

"Good." I simply stated.

"Good? Steph, should I be worried?"

"Nope. Bye Joe."

I hung up before he could say anymore. I turned to Lula. "We're clear. Let's do this." I shouted before jumping out of the car. Lula jumped out with me and together we dumped the seven bags of trash on his front lawn, his front porch, and any where else we could find to put it. His place was covered and it stunk so bad. Lula and me were both gagging as we dumped it but when we stuffed the empty trash bags into his own trash cans, we laughed all the way to the car. Don't worry, we used gloves so no fingerprints.

We continued to laugh as we drove to Lettie's little apartment. Yep, the bastard got the house in the divorce. See, he deserved it. I told Lula to wait in the car and knocked on Lettie's door. She opened it wearing the cutest little yellow sundress with pretty blue flowers. Her hair was pulled back into a little up do knot at the back of her head with little tendrils curled around her face. Lettie was beautiful. She was definitely better off without Matt.

She smiled at me. "Hi Steph."

"Hi Lettie. How're you?"

She shrugged. "I'm okay."

"You know why I'm here?"

She nodded. "I do. That's why I'm dressed up. I figured you would show up eventually to drag me back and I wanted to look my best."

I grinned. "You look beautiful, but why didn't you show up for court?" I asked her.

She turned red. "I was embarrassed. I've never been arrested or naked in public and in one day, I did both. I was afraid to show my face."

I reached out and grabbed her hand, giving her a friendly squeeze. "You have nothing to ashamed of. What Matt did was despicable and nasty. He should be the one that's embarrassed to show his face. Not you. I know I have to bring you in, but us girls have to stick together."

She smiled gently. "Thanks Steph."

She locked her apartment and together we walked to the car. "Oh and you might want to watch the news tonight." I grinned at her. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion but she just nodded. We were only in the car for a minute when Lula opened her blabber mouth and told Lettie everything we had done. Did I mention we smeared old chicken parts all over the siding of the house? I didn't? Well, we did. By the time we pulled up at the cop shop, Lettie was laughing so hard I was pretty sure she was gonna pee her pants or bust a gut or something.

Lettie's happiness went south when we climbed out of the car. "Head up, Lettie. You have nothing to be ashamed of." She perked up and together we walked in. She was rebonded out just as quickly since I had called Connie on the way to station. We made a quick drive by to Matt's house to perk up her spirits and sure enough, she was laughing once again. We dropped her off with some more good words and laughter. I dropped Lula off, grabbed my receipt, and went to the bank.

I then went to the store and got lost. I don't know why, but I did. I shopped leisurely. I bought food of course, but then I bought these mini lamp things that you power with batteries. I don't know why. They were cute and on sale for a fifty cents a piece. I bought ten of them. In all different colors. They were smaller than a bottle of water. Adorable. I then bought cookies. I mean like those frosted cookies that always change color depending on the holiday. Those. They were on sale too. So I bought several packages. I bought beer too. And some wine. It was on sale too. Oh and I got some new cups. I don't know why. They had stupid sayings on them like bottom's up and shit. On sale.

I stopped by Redbox and rented the new Ghostbusters movie. I bought some chicken wings and potato wedges and went home with all my goodies. After dropping my packages at the front door, I made my way through my little apartment and found it empty. I unloaded and put away my groceries and then grabbed my food, my beer and my movie and planted my ass in front of the television. Halfway through the movie, I got up and grabbed a package of the cookies and then ate the package of the cookies. Glad I bought more than one.

After the movie was over, I took the trash in the kitchen and cleaned up. I looked towards Rex and Snowball and frowned. I hadn't noticed it when I walked in but both of them had a carrot in their cage and fruit loops. I hadn't given them either. Nothing had been out of place when I first got home, but I quickly made another round of my little apartment and once again(with my gun), I found it empty. I looked at their cages and shook my head. I didn't like it. I cleaned out their cages, one at a time. I ditched the food and water in their cages and gave them fresh. Once that was done, I grabbed a bottle of water. I took a quick shower, I didn't wash my hair. Didn't need to. I finished off the bottle of water and went to bed.

I woke up, groggy. My vision was blurry and I couldn't seem to make the blurriness go away. My head was pounding and once again, I felt weighed down. Something wasn't right. But all I could do was close my eyes and go back to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Oh you all... You guys are really hard on Steph. :-) I hope this helps.

Thank you! trhodes9, Guest, Barb4psu, aruvqan, PhillyGirl27, diebirchen(thank you for the correction), Ybanormlmom, Blistful2006, GarbanzoBeans, melyons, MarshaMac1215, First Generation Scot, Proudofyoubabe, Bandit3s, jkgk, guest, Claudette Miller, and guest. Thank you to Blistful2006 for reviewing Steph's Struggle.

I'm sorry this is going to be short. I'm going to try to post again tomorrow.

Chapter Twelve  
Junk Food & Old Shows

When I woke up the next morning, my headache from hell was bad. I knew something was up. Something wasn't right. The only thing I knew made sense was the water bottles I had guzzled before I went to bed each night. I didn't want to think it was possible but I had to face facts, I was being drugged. And with the fruit loops being in my boys' cages last night, I knew someone had been in my apartment. While I had been hoping and maybe even praying a little bit that it was someone I knew; let me rephrase that, someone I trusted, but with the second night of waking up feeling groggy and drugged, it wasn't someone I trusted. Someone I knew, yes. This stalker had to be someone I knew. I just didn't know who.

After popping a few aspirin with some water from the kitchen sink, I called Joe.

"Yo."

"You busy?" I asked him.

"Getting ready to head to work." Was his reply.

"Can you drop by before you go? Please. It's kind of important."

"You okay?"

"Technically."

"Steph?" His voice was filled with concern and worry.

"I'm not in any danger right now, Joe. I promise."

"I'll be there in a few."

I said thank you and hung up the phone. I leaned against my kitchen counter and waited. I looked around my kitchen, closely inspecting every single corner and aspect of my kitchen. I've seen this kitchen so many times that I knew it by heart and nothing seemed out of place. So what the fuck was I missing? The cages were sitting next to each other, but both Rex and Snowball were in their hideaways. My cookie jar was in the same place it always was. The dust had done settled on it so I knew it hadn't been messed with. That was the only things on my counter. I was losing my mind. Maybe I was just imaging all this shit. Maybe I wasn't being drugged.

I grunted my disagreement just as I heard the locks tumble and my front door slide open. I watched as Joe came into view, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a button up shirt with a tie. He looked nice. Sexy and nice. I let out a sigh and shook my head.

"What's up, Cupcake?" He asked with a smile.

I just cut to the chase. "I think I'm being drugged."

His smile fell and the room filled with anger. "What?"

I told him about the fruit loops in the cages and the last two nights drinking bottled water and waking up feeling like I did. I told him about the headaches too. He watched me closely, his mouth set in a firm line, hands clenched in fists and propped up on his hips. When I finished, his face was red and his veins were bulging out of his forehead. He looked really freaking scary.

"Fuck, Steph. I hate to ask but do you feel any..." He cut off with a string of curses.

I shook my head. "I haven't been violated, Joe. I promise. I mean I haven't been raped. I feel a little violated with being drugged and my boys being messed with but I'm okay."

Joe came around and pulled me into his arms, hugging me, giving me this feeling of being safe that I didn't realize I was missing. "I'm so fucking sorry, Steph." He mumbled into my ear.

I hugged him back before he pulled away. He went to the fridge and pulled out a few bottles of water. "I can't stay but I am going to take these to the lab and get them tested. Until I do..."

"I'm not going to drink them, Joe. I ain't insane."

He came back over to me and kissed my forehead. "Be careful today, Cupcake. I'll be in touch. It might take a few days, Steph." He warned.

"I'll be okay, Joe. I promise."

He nodded and then he was gone. I looked around, feeling a little off kilter. I shook it off and got dressed. Didn't matter what I was wearing today, but blue jeans and a yellow t-shirt did the trick. After grabbing what I needed for the day, I glanced at Rex and Snowball. I wanted to take them with me, but I knew I had to pretend as if nothing was out of place so I wished my boys a good day and left.

I didn't bother going by the Bonds office. There was no point. I was going to go bring in Mooner so I was going to spend most of the day watching old shows anyway.

Suddenly, that's all I wanted. Was to sit down and watch old shows and snack on chips and other fatty foods. I made a quick stop at the supermarket and grabbed a bunch of junk food. I probably spent way too much on a bunch of junk but I didn't care. I knew I was safe at Mooner's and that's all I wanted right now. I wanted to feel safe.

I knocked on Mooner's door, well... I actually just beat some of the bags against his door because my hands were a little full. The door swung open and Mooner appeared.

"Dudette!" He yelled.

I grinned. "Hey Mooner." I greeted him.

"I forgot again, huh?"

I nodded. "That's okay though. I thought we could hang out, eat junk food, and watch old shows before we head in."

"Awesome!"

He let me in and almost instantly we were in front of the tv watching I Love Lucy and eating chips and chocolate and candy and drinking root beer floats. That's right, I bought ice cream and root beer. I told ya I went all out. We laughed through three seasons of I Love Lucy before we went to the Golden Girls. I seriously loved Rose but I admired Blanche too. She could totally be a slut and no one cared. They loved her for it. My Catholic upbringing wouldn't allow it for me. But then again, there was only one man for me and he was being a giant fucking douchebag.

When the first season of Golden Girls was over, I glanced outside and noticed it was almost dark. "Well, I guess we had better get going, Mooner."

I heard him sigh. It was quiet but I still heard it. "Totes." He replied.

We put everything in the trash because yes we ate it all. And it was a lot of junk food. Then we headed out. The ride was uneventful and so was the visit to the cop shop. While Mooner was being booked, I looked for Bailey. I asked around but no one had seen him that night. However, everyone was talking about Lettie's ex and his garbage covered house. I snorted a little and barely managed to keep from laughing out loud. Several people said that it took him hours to get all the trash cleaned up and it still smelled horrible. Good. I hope it smelled like that for the rest of his pathetic little life.

I took Mooner back home and then went home myself. I pulled my gun out and searched my tiny apartment. I found nothing. Just like always. Tonight, the boys' dishes were empty and I felt relieved at that. I drunk some water from the tap before pulling on some pj shorts and a tank top. Normally, I would put my gun on my night stand, but tonight I tucked it under my pillow. I didn't want it too far away. I was uneasy, unsettled. I was finding it hard to settle down. I laid on my back and stared at the ceiling.

I counted the lines and then I counted the weird shapes and then before I realized, I was sound asleep.

Something was wrong. It was dark. It was late. My head was pounding, my vision was non-existent. My body felt heavy. So damn heavy. I tried to lift my arm and found it impossible. Was I tied down? I couldn't tell. I couldn't open my eyes to even find out. What the fuck was going on? I heard something and the air shifted. I wasn't alone. I knew I wasn't alone. I could hear him, whoever he was. It wasn't friendly. The shift in the air was cold, cruel. I was in trouble. And I couldn't grab my gun. My limbs would not cooperate with me. They wouldn't move. But he was there. I could feel him. And as I slipped under the darkness once again, the first tear slid down my cheek.


	13. Chapter 13

HAHA! Very Short... But I wanted to post this little tidbit tonight so you guys didn't have to wait until next week or even tomorrow if I was able to post then. It's very short but ...

Chapter Thirteen  
No Words

I woke up with the same fucking headache. But this time, something was different. It was heavier. Sitting up on the side of the bed, I wave came over me and I hauled ass to the bathroom. I threw up all over the bathroom floor before finally hitting the toilet. Everything I ate yesterday came up and it was a lot of food. My head throbbed and I knew something wasn't right. I still felt weighed down, my limbs felt heavy. I could barely lift them. Hell, it had hurt just to come into the bathroom. When the vomiting stopped and the dry heaves too, I finally stood up. I hurt all over. I hurt so bad. I stepped in front of the mirror and screamed.

I was covered in bite marks. I pulled my tank top over my head and the tears started. My breasts were covered in bite marks. My stomach too. I didn't want to look any lower. I grabbed a pair of pants and a thick jacket and practically ran out the door. There's only person I needed right now. I needed to feel safe and there's only one person who could do that.

I don't remember driving there. I don't remember that trip. I barely remember the under ground garage. I don't really remember the ride to the seventh floor. I see my hand knocking on the door, but I don't hear it. There's a loud ringing in my ears and maybe I can't remember anything because I can't see anything. The tears won't stop. I can't make them stop. The door opens and I smell Ranger.

"Babe?"

I let out a sob and fell into his arms. His arms didn't hesitate. They wrapped around me and finally I felt safe. Another sob ripped out of my throat and I cried in Ranger's arms.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: :-) Glad Y'all enjoy the last two chapters. Hopefully the next few chapters will answer most of the questions you guys have been asking yourself (and me).

Thank you to those who left reviews. I love the reviews I get. Even the ones that tell me I've made a mistake or something. Have I fixed those? No.. Lol.. not yet. I will eventually. Just too busy to care at the moment. Sounds lazy, but I'm on the go constantly and when I get the chance to slow down, I would rather just write a chapter. But enough of that... just thank you! Means a lot to me... Proudofyoubabe(x2), Barb4psu(x2), PhillyGirl27(x2), Blistful2006, Guest, trhodes9, 5babe.5beautfu, melyons(x2), bb2020, Guest, Bandit32(x2), Meteorologist, Guest, MarshaMac1215(x2), ClaudetteMiller(x2), GarbanzoBeans, and deviates322.

Chapter Fourteen  
Red Gas

They say that when you're mad or angry, all you see is red. I don't know if I'm mad exactly(scared, in pain, upset definitely), but red is definitely all I'm seeing. You see when I woke up and was actually able to move, I knew something was wrong. I felt it in my bones. I couldn't quite remember the night before but I did remember feeling someone else was in my apartment. But how could that be possible? My makeshift alarm systems were still in place. They hadn't been moved or even touched. When I saw the bite marks that covered my body, I knew someone had been in my apartment. However I didn't stick around to discover how they had gotten in and out without alerting my alarm systems.

I had fallen into Ranger's arms without a second thought. And while most thought I should have gone to Joe since lately he was go to guy with my stalker, Ranger was where I felt truly safe. And besides, Joe had a girlfriend and although this was fucking serious as hell, I didn't think she would appreciate me showing up and falling into her boyfriend's arms. I did though. Feel safe. The moment Ranger's arms wrapped around me, I felt so safe and protected. He didn't understand my reasoning for being there. He knew something was wrong; his arms a band of steel wrapped around me. When I was finally able to stop crying, I pulled back just enough to pull the hoodie I had grabbed before leaving over my head.

That's where the red came in. Because like I said, I wasn't mad. Yes, I was scared to death, I was in a lot of pain, and I was upset, but Ranger... he was mad. The look that came over his face even had me wanting to take a step back (I even consider running out the door). He was fucking pissed. Every inch(and since he was wearing only a pair of black silk boxers, it was a lot of inches) of his mocha chocolate skin I loved so much had turned red. A deep, dark red. Batman was pissed off. Before he could say anything, my mouth went rambling and I told him everything. Starting from the beginning when I brought in Velma and inherited her rat, Snowball. I told him about Bailey and Scout and what Joe had told me about them. I told him about the notes and the chocolate and how Joe had them tested for poison. I told him about Rex and Snowball having food in their cages that I know I didn't put in there and then finally, I told him about the water bottles and being drugged. But I didn't drink any water last night from a bottle. But I was definitely drugged last night. There was just no way around it.

Ranger calmly kissed my forehead and pulled away. See now, he looked calm, but I knew he wasn't. His movements while controlled were shaky. His voice while low was hard with something I hadn't ever heard before. Not from him anyway. It was from a man that was clearly trying to hold it together. I wasn't sure if he was going to explode or not, but he was definitely a ticking time bomb. He called Bobby first. Demanded he come to the apartment on seven immediately. And bring his medical bag. I cringed internally. I didn't want anyone to see me like this, but I knew it was necessary. He called Tank and Lester next. Also demanding they come upstairs immediately. He called Ram last(next to last since I made a request) and told him as well to come upstairs. I then told Ranger he needed to call Joe. He cocked an eyebrow in question and by the look on his face and in his eyes, he clearly was not happy with that request, but I ignored the look and turned my back on him.

He hadn't said a word to me all this time. He listened and he made demands on employees, but he remained silent in my direction. His silence was screaming at me. I didn't like it. It scared me more than the bite marks did.

They all arrived at the same time. Except for Joe. He was working and wasn't able to come so Ranger filled him on most of everything. Then they showed up and Ranger had to explain again. The core team and Ram took one look at me and the room erupted in curses and threats. Lester pulled me into his arms, carefully and whispered sweet words of Spanish into my ear. I didn't have a clue what he said, but I knew it was good. And maybe some bodily harm threats towards whoever did this. Tank and Ranger whispered to each other before Tank called Lester and Ram and off they went to my apartment. Now it was just Bobby, Ranger, and myself.

Bobby swallowed hard and his eyes swept the length of my body. I was once again in a pair of black panties and a black bra. I felt exposed, but I felt safe too. Did that even make sense? He took another large gulp of air before finally speaking. "Did he break the skin at all, Bomber?" He had to force the words out.

I shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I can't look for long before I..." I broke off, my face heating.

He nodded, his eyes filled with sadness and maybe pity. "I need to examine you, Steph."

"I know."

He nodded again and set to work. He examined each bite closely. He started with one arm and worked on towards the other arm. He went down each leg next. He doctored each one with antiseptic. He also took pictures of each bite. I knew he was counting them. And marking them down. But he didn't tell me how many he counted. It felt weird and horribly wrong when Bobby had me lay down and as he sat down between my legs. He cursed loudly and Ranger shot to his feet. I had kind of forgotten he was in the room until right then.

"What?" He demanded.

Bobby hung his head, shaking it slowly. "All the bites are superficial. Teeth marks, yes. However, he hadn't broken the skin. Until now. She has two on the inside of her upper thighs, close to her core that he bit her and he bit her hard. He drew blood."

Ranger cursed and then he erupted, punching a hole in the wall. I never seen out of control Ranger. I shouldn't have been fascinated, but I was. Anything to keep my mind off the bites on my body.

"What does that mean?" Ranger questioned through clenched teeth.

"We need to draw blood now and several times over the next few weeks. Just in case..." Bobby trailed off but I knew what he meant. What if the son of a bitch who did this had a disease. What if he had HIV or aids? When blood met blood or in my case, when blood met saliva, it was a definitely possible.

"How bad are they are, Bobby?" I asked, not sure if I really wanted to know, but I needed to.

"Bad. He left bruises as well." Bobby replied.

Ranger couldn't look in my direction. He wouldn't talk to me. He was disgusted by me. And so was I. I couldn't believe I allowed this happened. Before I could say anything to Ranger, he was gone. He left his apartment, slamming the door so hard the entire place shook.

"I'm sorry, Steph."

I shrugged. "Not your fault, Bobby." I stated, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Not yours either, Stephanie."

I gave another shrug. "Can we finish this? I also need..."

He grasped my chin between two fingers and my eyes met his. "This is NOT your fault. We are not mad at you. Ranger is not mad at YOU. He's pissed that this happened and for now, there's nothing he can do about it. Are you hearing me?" He demanded.

Tears welled up and I nodded. "I hear ya. Thank you, Bobby."

He didn't reply. He just pulled me into his arms and gave me a hug. When he finally pulled away, I gave him some more bad news. "He bit my breasts too, Bobby. I need to remove my bra."

I was pretty sure Bobby was going to be sick, but he just nodded. I removed my bra and watched Bobby. His eyes blinked, going from calm and doctor-y to pissed off and scary. He didn't say a word as he doctored the bites on my boobs. The ones around my nipples were sore as shit and I winced more than once. He bandaged those and I put my bra back on. He glanced down my back and the backs of my legs.

"He didn't bite you on your back. Are there any on your ass?" He asked me.

I laughed. "Ass, huh? Is that a medical term?" I teased him.

He smiled at me. "Seemed like the right word." He muttered, his face turning red.

I grinned as I turned around and pulled down my panties. Just enough to show him my ass. I heard a sigh and glanced over my shoulder. "What's the verdict?" I asked.

"He didn't bite you at all. Only your front side."

I nodded as I pulled my panties back up. "Easy access. I was on my back when I went to sleep and when I woke up."

"I gotta take some blood, Steph."

I nodded my understanding. With precise calculation and with such ease that I could tell he had been doing this a very long time, he managed to feel two vials with my blood with just one prick. It looked normal, but then again I knew it would even if I did have a disease.

Bobby opened his mouth to say something, but Ranger walked through the door and he shut up. We both watched as he slowly walked towards us. His face blank but his entire body tense. "They found out where he was getting in."

I inhaled sharply. "They did? How? Where?" I asked while Bobby packed his things, listening ever so quietly.

"You have a supply closet next door to your apartment. Did you know?" I shook my head at his question and he continued on. "He had cut a hold just big enough in your wall behind your refrigerator. He was getting in through the supply closet and a hole in your wall."

I sat down hard on Ranger's couch, trying to take it all in. I heard Ranger and Bobby talking but I wasn't paying attention. He had been getting into my apartment. He had been giving Rex and Snowball food. So had he been poisoning me too? But through what? My water bottles? I didn't drink any bottled water last night. I didn't remember eating anything from apartment last night either so he couldn't have gotten to my food either. I inhaled sharply. Was he injecting me with something. I ran my hands up and down my arms looking, but only whimpered in pain when all I encountered were bite marks.

"Babe."

Ranger's soft spoken voice broke into my thoughts and I looked up to find Ranger crouched in front of me. Bobby was gone and we were alone. "How did they find the hole in the wall if my refrigerator was hiding it?" I asked, curious.

"When I give my guys orders, they follow. They didn't leave anything unturned, Babe. They found your make shift alarm systems and besides the one at the front door which I'm assuming you kicked aside, the rest were untouched. They moved most of your furniture looking. They wouldn't have given up until they found something."

"So he was poisoning my food and my water?"

Ranger shook his head. "He wasn't doing anything to your food."

"How do you know? Have you talked to Joe?"

Another small shake of his head. "They found trace levels of carbon monoxide in your apartment, Steph. Not enough to kill you. Just enough to knock you out. Make you feel drugged and out of it.

"He could have killed me. He could have gotten the levels wrong and killed me." I started to shake.

"You said this happened the last two nights?" I nodded and he continued. "I think that he was starting off with very low levels. He didn't want to kill you, Steph. He wants you and what happened last night only proves that. He won't kill you." Ranger stood up and begin to pace. He was agitated. Ranger was showing a lot of emotion this morning. I wasn't sure how to take that.

"Why me, Babe?" Ranger asked softly.

I looked up again to find him staring at me. He was braced against his living room wall, one foot propped up against said wall. His arms crossed against his chest and a look of something I couldn't read on his face. "What?" I asked, confused.

"You came to me this time and while I'm thankful as fuck that you did, why this morning? Why now? Why didn't you come to me before all this shit went down? Why go back to your apartment at all? Why Steph?"

I stood up slowly, anger slowly racing through my blood. "You didn't want me, Ranger. You told me you didn't want me. You told me that I made you stupid, Ranger and that I took up too much of your time. You told me that I was nothing but a good fuck!" I was yelling at him now and crying. Ranger stalked over to me and yanked me into his arms. I tried to resist, beating on him with my fists but I gave in. Too tired to fight. I just relaxed into him. He rubbed my back and whispered Spanish into my ear(I guess that's a trait him and Lester have in common) as he let me cry for an entirely different reason. He then switched to English and my tears stopped immediately at his words.

"I was being followed, Babe. Not only was I being followed, but I had been bugged that day I came to your apartment. I was doing a favor for an old acquaintance and he wanted to make sure I had no ties to anything or anybody. I could have lied and gotten out of that favor, but he's a cruel man and I wanted nothing more to do with him."

He took a breath and I pulled back to look at him. "Go on." I demanded gently. I didn't want to spook him.

"I owed him that favor and as long as I owed him that favor, he wouldn't leave me alone so I did what I had to do. He heard of you. He had been watching you, but I couldn't allow that. So I told him you meant nothing to me, hoping he would buy it."

"But he didn't."

Ranger shook his head. "He did not. So I did the one thing I didn't want to do. I proved him wrong. Lucky for me, he believed that lie and I did him that favor."

I nodded. "So it's over. You won't see him again?"

Ranger laughed but it held no amusement. "Oh I won't see him again."

My brows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"Favor went south and I killed him, his son and a few other of his men."

My eyes widened and I was dying to ask more questions, but I just snuggled deeper into Ranger and let myself pretend the world didn't exist. "You're not mad at me?" I asked softly.

"Babe, I'm pissed at the situation. I'm so fucking full of rage at the fucking bite marks that cover you, but I'm not angry at you. Those words I spoke to you were not true. You mean a fuckuva lot to me, Babe."

I grinned and kissed his chest. Which was still bare. Yum. Ranger shivered and his arms tightened.

"You're not going back there, Babe." Ranger stated with an air of finality in his voice. I smiled against his chest and stayed quiet. "You're not going back even if I have to tie you up and keep you here. I had Tank pack you a bag and Lester grabbed the rats. They should be here soon. Joe is working right now, but he's got a full team of people going to your place to do the whole CSI thing so no arguments. You're here until this over. And when you leave here, you will have a bodyguard on you at all times."

I squeezed him a little harder to me and nodded. I didn't argue. Ranger was my safe place, he didn't hate me and I didn't want to be anywhere but here. So I nodded my agreement and said one little word.

"Okay."

Ranger replied back with two. "Thank fuck."


	15. Chapter 15

Thank you for your continued love and support. :-) First Generation Scot, trhodes9, MarshaMac1215, brandyrennu, Barb4psu, mcrmyrangerbabe, Guest, Guest, Bandit3s, melyons, PhillyGirl27, GarbanzoBeans, Proudofyoubabe, Ybanormlmom, Claudette Miller, Blistful2006, Guest, redbird23, Camilla10, and Sassysaint.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: My computer has went stupid. It's a new computer(only 2 years old) but it doesn't want to 'cooperate' any more. Funny thing is my mom's computer(which is what I'm on right now) is starting to do the same thing. So for now, I'll only be posting when I'm able to get my hands on my mom's computer(as long as it holds out). Which as of yesterday will be more often since my hours were cut in half almost. (Long story, only pisses me off)... so here it is Chapter Fifteen with hopefully more chapters to come. I'm sorry.

Chapter Fifteen  
Feelings & Aftershocks

"Steph awake?" I heard Bobby ask from the front door of Ranger's apartment. Ranger's very hard and large body blocked Bobby's form from my view.

I then heard Ranger speak but couldn't actually hear what he said. Bobby instantly replied but their voices were now so low that even straining didn't help in hearing what was being said. And it was pissing me off. It was irrational since Ranger thought I was asleep, but I couldn't seem to tamper the anger down.

"I'm right here." I growled, low and angry.

Ranger turned around to look at me which Bobby now into view. Ranger's eyes narrowed in what I could only guess was annoyance. Bobby's eyes widened in shock. I knew I had to look absolutely awful since I've spent the last several hours trying to sleep. Needless to say, sleep was fucking impossible. Every time I closed my eyes, I could feel him against my skin and hear him in my ear. I could hear him whispering words I couldn't make out. I could never fully hear the words he spoke but it made my skin crawl.

"Babe, you need to sleep." Ranger stated the fucking obvious while walking towards me.

I didn't know how to comment so I turned my attention to Bobby and what he was holding. "What's that, Bobby?"

Bobby held up the tank. "It's an oxygen tank. You don't seem to have any ill effects of the carbon monoxide but I don't want to take any chances."

Chewing on my lip, I slowly nodded. "How much oxygen do I need? I feel fine."

He motioned towards the sofa and I sat down. While setting up the oxygen tank, he talked. "It's hard to tell how long he's been poisoning you with it but your blood shows signs of poison. Let me explain a little about your blood first. Your red blood cells are basically little bags of substance called hemoglobin. Red blood cells are the only cells in your body without nuclei. Anyway, hemoglobin molecules are little oxygen carriers. Each molecule has four 'seats' that can be filled with oxygen. They can pick up oxygen in your lungs and deliver it all over your body. Every cell needs a supply of oxygen. With me so far?"

He stopped talking and waited for my answer. I simply nodded since he already had the mask over my mouth and nose. "Carbon monoxide is very dangerous because it sticks to your hemoglobin better than oxygen does. It 'hogs the seats' so that your oxygen can't get a ride. And those CO molecules keep riding around, never giving their seats up to the oxygen. This means there's no way to get oxygen to your brain, your heart, or any other cells and then those cells start to die. Once those cells start to die, your body starts to show signs of that. Headaches, memory loss, fatigue, confusion, muscle cramps and weakness and nausea are just a few to name. You've already had the headaches which isn't good."

I pulled the mask from my face. "I've had most of those including memory loss. Could that be the reason why I don't remember exactly what happened each night in my room. Why I don't remember..." I couldn't finish. My throat tightened and I swear I whimpered.

Bobby gently lifted the mask back to face all the while he lifted my face so my eyes met his. "The answer to your question is yes. It's exactly why you don't remember him and what the horrible thing that he did to your body. But it's not your fault, Bomber."

My eyes shimmered with tears and I slowly nodded. It still felt like my fault. I shouldn't have stayed in my apartment. I should have went to Joe's or my parents' but damn it, I was tired of being ran out of my own home. I was tired of being a victim.

Bobby pulled me into his arms and gave me a hug. "You're a survivor, Steph. Don't let this son of a bitch hinder that or your frame of mind. You're strong as hell." He whispered in my head and I smiled behind the mask. I whispered thank you and he nodded, letting me know he heard me.

"I want you to wear that thing for an hour right now and then an hour tonight before you go to bed. After today, thirty minutes twice a day. Okay?" Bobby informed me once he pulled away from me. He busied himself gathering up the cord to the oxygen tank so instead of nodding, I replied back.

"Got it."

He kissed the top of my head, bid farewell to Ranger with the nod of his head and was out the door. I kept my eyes off Ranger, focusing instead on the oxygen I was breathing in and what I knew so far with Velma and Scout. Or at least I tried to think about Velma and Scout. I can feel Ranger. I can feel his presence and I can feel his emotions. That's a new one for me. Ranger usually keeps his emotions in check and hidden. Right now though, I can feel confusion, awkwardness, concern, and anger. I understand the concern and anger, but the confusion and awkwardness I don't.

"This is my fault." Ranger's voice came out of the quiet like a bullet in the dead of the night.

I looked up at him, confusion written all over my face. "Why?" I asked behind the mask.

He ran his hands through his hair and begin to pace. I blinked hard and more confusion settled in. Ranger never paced. He was starting to freak me out. "Ranger?" My voice shook with uncertain. And honestly, a little fear.

"All my fucking fault." He muttered, still pacing. His hands were in his hair still, pulling at the silky strands.

I blinked some more and went speechless. Ranger rarely cursed and he was looking a little crazy right now.

"I pushed you away because of my own fucking idiocy and fears and look what the bastard fucking did to you. There's no one to blame but myself. I should have just stayed away from the beginning but it was impossible. You buried yourself under my skin and in my heart and I was fucking lost and now you're fucking paying for my stupidity."

Ranger went on mumbling but I was pretty sure he had forgotten I was here. I just watched in fascination and fear of course as he continued to rant and rave about all this being his fault and how stupid he was and how much he loved me...

"You love me?" I had removed from my mask without a thought and spoken without thought of how he would react.

His head jerked up and his eyes met mine. "Babe?"

I swallowed hard as he stalked towards me. My eyes widened as he got closer. The oxygen was long forgotten as Ranger reached my side and pulled me into his arms. He hugged me close, his grip tight and hard but loving and comforting.

"Fuck, babe. You're fucking everything." He whispered in my ear, his breath tickling my neck.

"What does that mean?" I asked, shivering as his hand found its way up the back of shirt and touched bare skin.

His other hand went to the back of neck and my hair wrapped around his fist. He then pulled it back so our eyes met. "It means that you are my light, Stephanie. There is literally nothing I wouldn't do for you. My money, my power, my men, my company... that all means nothing to me without you. It means that I'm a fucking idiot because I continue to push you away because I think it's what's best for you, but the only thing I'm doing is torturing the both of us. I'm sorry, Babe. I'm sorry for every single time I've pushed you away. I'm sorry for every hurtful word I've ever spoken in your direction. I'm done fighting this shit, Stephanie. I'm fucking done."

His warmth surrounded me as he tucked me back into his arms and just held me. All I could feel was warmth and love and happiness.

A door slam shut and I jerked. I looked around and groaned. I was laying on Ranger's sofa in Ranger's apartment but Ranger was no where to be fine. The oxygen tank and mask was on the floor next to the sofa, abandoned and forgotten. I had been dreaming. The whole time, everything Ranger said had been a dream. A fucking dream.

My head dropped back to the arm of the sofa and I groaned. Tears filled my eyes and with a whimper, I curled myself into a ball and cried myself back to sleep.


End file.
